Nik Aziz to sue TV station, newspapers

(The Edge) PERMATANG PAUH: PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat is initiating legal action against an electronic media and two Malay newspapers for defamation.

PAS legal adviser Mohamad Hanifa Maidin said yesterday the action was against TV3, Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian for distorting his comments on Umno and Islam.

"This relates to the 'Umno members won't go to heaven' and 'Umno members are heretics' comments which they had attributed to him.

"We are sending them notices, giving them seven days to retract and apologise for their misreporting, failing which we will proceed with legal action.

"Tok Guru is not interested in the financial gains from the law suit but he stands corrected that what they did was mala fide," he said at a press conference at the PAS by-election operations centre in Permatang Pasir in Penang.

He said when PAS questioned Barisan Nasional's (BN) candidate Rohaizat Othman's credibility and morality to stand in the by-election, it did so backed by evidence with statements made by the Bar Council.

He said Nik Aziz never said that Umno members would never go to heaven, neither did he say Umno practised Islam Palestine.

The newspapers alleged that Nik Aziz had said that Umno brought Islamic teachings from Palestine which is not the true teaching of Islam.

He was also quoted as saying Islam as practised by Umno members would not take Muslims to heaven.