In a statement, Asri, also known as Maza, said people were generally afraid to question religious scholars or teachers, even when they were in the wrong.

He said this reluctance to challenge such figures emboldened them to “paralyse” the minds of the public.

“So people will obey them absolutely without question, (by them) claiming that ordinary people are ignorant of religion,” he said.

Asri said while Islam commanded its followers to respect religious scholars, it did not prevent them from critiquing or questioning their views, provided that the detractors were not rude.

“This has been the practice of respectable Islamic scholars for centuries,” he added.

Asri also said that without logic and evidence, there is “no Islam”.

“Baseless allegations should not be linked to religion,” he said.

While Asri did not refer to any particular person or incident, his statement comes days after he said that any allegation linking the political crisis in Perlis to certain state projects must be backed by evidence.

He also warned that unsubstantiated claims were a matter of concern as they could create a negative perception of certain institutions.

Asri was responding to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s remarks on the root cause of the political crisis in Perlis.

Hadi had claimed that the crisis stemmed from former Perlis menteri besar Shukri Ramli’s reluctance to give in to pressure on certain projects that had allegedly breached regulations.

Shukri resigned as menteri besar on Dec 25, citing health reasons.