THE PAS

A leader of Malaysia's Islamist opposition, the Pas, has called for Thailand's southern Muslims to eschew violence.

This may have been prompted by the recent dubious report linking the Pas to violence in southern Thailand, it is notable in that it probably better reflects the party's attitude toward violence in 'neighboring' countries.:

Malaysian Islamic leader urges Thai clergy to talk with king to end southern conflict
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’'s top Islamic opposition leader has urged Muslim clerics in neighboring Thailand to talk to their king and their government to resolve a bloody separatist conflict in the southern part of the country.
Authorities in the predominantly Buddhist country should give the Muslim clergy room to help resolve the problem peacefully, Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said on Sunday after celebrating the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Fitr.
Nik Aziz is the influential spiritual leader of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic party, which governs the northeastern state of Kelantan bordering southern Thailand.
Bernama, the national news agency, quoted Nik Aziz as saying that the clergy should seek an audience with Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, if necessary, to show they aspire for peace...
Nik Aziz said Muslims in Thailand must be patient and united in facing the conflict, and that Thailand should emulate multiracial and multi-religious Malaysia in resolving problems and conflicts to ensure that its people live in peace.
Nik Aziz, a 73-year-old cleric, has been the chief minister, or the highest elected official, of Kelantan state since 1990. He wields tremendous clout in the state, one of Malaysia’'s poorest and least developed after (ed. because of) 14 years of the Islamic party’'s strict fundamentalist rule.

While this moderate statement should be welcome, the Pas are still, at best, a group of pious wankers that would strangle the economy and further limit the rights of Malaysians. And their opposition to violence is, of course, only limited to 'neighboring' countries.

Still, particularly given the notable lack of condemnation of recent 'retaliatory' attacks on Thai Buddhists, we should welcome this brief outburst of sanity.