Malaysian Hindu woman embraces Islamic party

ULU TIRAM, Malaysia-Malaysia's hardline Islamist party PAS is known for advocating a theocratic Islamic state, but that isn't stopping a non-Muslim woman from running as a PAS candidate in next month's elections.Kumutha Rahman, a 29-year-old Hindu, is standing in a mainly Malay Muslim constituency in southern Malaysia, becoming the first ever non-Muslim candidate running on a Parti Islam se-Malaysia's (PAS) ticket."My fellow Indians were very shocked because I'm not a Muslim and they asked me what I wanted to do," Kumutha told Reuters in an interview at her campaign office in Ulu Tiram, a town near Johor's capital Johor Baru, near Singapore."But they now appreciate what I'm doing. People here are open-minded," said Kumutha, who heads the women's division of the PAS' supporters' club in Johor.Analysts said PAS' move to field a non-Muslim candidate is aimed at making the party more inclusive to attract wider support in the March 8 elections.At the last election in 2004, PAS suffered heavy losses to the multi-racial Barisan Nasional ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, a moderate Muslim.Indians form about 8 percent of Malaysia's mainly Muslim population of 26 million.Kumutha, a former bank clerk, said she had studied PAS' constitution and found there was nothing in it against her principles.

To read more go to:

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSKLR9598820080229

As in the days of Noah...