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Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Malaysia’s Islamist opposition leader Abdul Hadi Awang has sparked outrage and ridicule with unproven claims linking religion to dishonesty, suggesting that Muslims are less corrupt than non-Muslims.
Hadi’s remarks, which drew demands for evidence, came amid a series of attacks by his Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) on the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a predominantly ethnic Chinese party in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling coalition.
“Not all Muslims are free from corruption but in comparison, Muslims are more protected because all worldly affairs are connected to religion, which includes the reckoning of sins and rewards,” the PAS president said in a social media post on Thursday.
According to Hadi, Muslims involved in corruption generally had weak faith or lacked proper religious education. He argued that Malays were particularly exposed to bribery because they formed a large share of Malaysia’s civil service.
Without offering substantiation, he also said that an “honest” examination of the statistics would find greater corruption involvement among non-Muslims, accusing them of being cartel members, illicit traders and smugglers who offer bribes.
Official figures, however, paint a mixed picture in the multiracial country of about 34 million people.
Data from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission presented to parliament last year showed Malays accounted for 3,690 of the 4,896 people arrested for accepting bribes between 2015 and June 30, 2025.
Chinese Malaysians accounted for 494 arrests, Indians 263 and other ethnic groups 449, according to a written parliamentary reply by Law and Institutional Reform Minister Azalina Othman Said.
For giving bribes, Chinese Malaysians recorded the highest number of arrests at 630, followed by 518 from other ethnic groups, 390 Malays and 151 Indians. Nearly 3,000 of those detained for accepting bribes were civil servants.

Social media users derided Hadi’s comments, demanding proof.
“Corruption is about human nature, not race; integrity is about character, not faith,” a user said, while another asked simply: “Any statistics?”
Taking a swipe at Hadi, a commenter said: “Faith alone doesn’t prove lower corruption rates. Corruption is shaped by institutions, accountability and individual choices, not religion.”
The PAS leader had previously linked corruption to race and religion.
In 2022, he blamed non-Muslims for the “roots of corruption”, prompting condemnation from politicians and a police investigation.
Hadi also recently clashed with DAP, accusing it of glorifying the Malayan Communist Party. He said proposed urban redevelopment laws could be used to drive poorer Malays from cities, drawing a rebuke from four Malay DAP leaders who urged him to stop promoting racially charged politics.
They pointed out that PAS and DAP had previously governed together under the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition from 2008 until it collapsed in 2015.
“Politics in Malaysia should move forward with arguments and policies, not by sowing fear towards other races and religions,” the leaders said in a joint statement on Thursday.


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Critics demand evidence from Abdul Hadi Awang as official bribery data shows mixed results


Critics demand evidence from Abdul Hadi Awang as official bribery data shows mixed results.


Are Malaysian Muslims less corrupt? PAS leader skewered over divisive politics

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Critics demand evidence from Abdul Hadi Awang as official bribery data shows mixed results

Critics demand evidence from Abdul Hadi Awang as official bribery data shows mixed results