KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 — DAP’s Sheikh Omar Ali has urged critics against labelling fellow Malay party members Syahredzan Johan and Young Syefura Othman as “infidels” and “apostates” for their dedication to the party.

The Johor DAP politician reiterated that DAP is not a religion, and therefore the duo — who just got elected into the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) — did not deserve to be labelled as such.

“DAP is not a religion. Joining DAP does not mean leaving Islam or converting to another religion,” the former Paloh assemblyman said in a statement here.

“Those who accuse DAP members of abandoning Islam fall into one of two categories: they are either ignorant or extremists in their thinking.”

He related how he had also faced similar accusations when he joined the party 10 years ago.

Sheikh Omar stressed that DAP is a legally registered party under the Registrar of Societies (ROS) and operates in full accordance with the law.

He also reminded Muslims that accusing a fellow Muslim of being an infidel is part of the takfiri ideology, akin to the historical Khawarij sect who legitimised the killing of other Muslims who did not share their beliefs.

“I must reiterate that DAP operates in line with the Federal Constitution. DAP recognises Islam as the official religion of the federation, as stated in Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution,” he said.

In the previous party elections, Young Syefura was the sole Malay representative elected to the leadership.

Syahredzan has since been named as one of the party’s vice-chairmen, while Young Syefura — also called Rara — is one of the assistant national publicity secretaries.