KUALA LUMPUR MALAYSIA Islam Stoned by Richard S. Ehrlich

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — If President Clinton was a Muslim citizen of Malaysia, "he would be stoned to death" for adultery with Monica Lewinsky, under a future government that the Islamic Party hopes people will elect.

Osama bin Laden, a Saudi fugitive wanted by Washington in connection with the US embassy bombings in Kenya and Sudan on August 7, which killed 259 people including 12 Americans, is meanwhile hailed by the Islamic Party, for his earlier perceived altruism.

Malaysia is currently struggling with political unrest over hotly disputed allegations that the prime minister's former heir apparent, Anwar Ibrahim, committed illegal homosexual sodomy and corruption.

Seeing a perfect opportunity, the Islamic Party has decided to use the sodomy-and-corruption case to lash out at government "injustice" and harsh imprisonment of the accused former deputy prime minister.

PAS hopes to use the hot-button Anwar issue to attract more followers. And many Malaysians are now looking to PAS for leadership.

To win votes and influence thinking, the Islamic Party of Malaysia -- known simply by its vernacular initials, PAS -- has cranked up a loud and daring "roadshow," rallying people in various cities to oppose Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad and his treatment of Anwar.

One of the ultimate goals of PAS, however, is to spread Islamic Shariah law, drawn from the Muslim holy book the Koran, throughout this Southeast Asian nation.

PAS admits Shariah law will only be "compulsory" nationwide if enough citizens vote for it, and use the constitution to change the current British-style legal system.

PAS insists, however, under Shariah law Clinton would be publicly executed by an encircling crowd of people hurling big rocks at him, if he was a Muslim Malaysian.

"If he is tried under this law, and he is a married man, he would be stoned to death in front of the public," PAS Central Committee Member Subky Abdul Latiff said in a taped interview at PAS party headquarters.

"But for Monica, she is not married, so she will be caned in public," Subky added, suddenly standing up and gently swinging his walking stick. "We have to cane, 80 to 100 times."

Subky said Shariah law "is the order of God, Allah. No Muslim has the right to reject it.

"If this is done in America, there would be no adultery, no bastard boys and girls" born out of wedlock. "We are PAS. We are for it.

"Whether a thief's hand would be chopped off or not, that depends on the decision of the court, the judge.

"If there is enough evidence, if the judge says that the verdict can be carried out, then it can be carried out," he added, referring to a tradition in some Islamic societies of hacking off of a robber's hand.

Non-Muslims would be exempt from Shariah law. But a few public displays of such punishments would create a severe drop in crime, he said, boasting of the law and order platform PAS offers.

"I think in a year, it would be hard to get anybody being stoned. Maybe in 20 years, you get two or three people to chop off the hand" for stealing.

"Like Saudi Arabia for example, very, very few crimes. Why? Because they are afraid to lose their hand.

"For instance, you have your wallet, you drop it, nobody will take it. In Mecca, during prayer time, all the shopkeepers just leave their shops, they all go to the mosque and pray, and nobody picks up anything" to steal.

In the mid-19th century, under Sultan Mohammed the Second, convicted thieves with stumps instead of hands could be seen in Kelantan, which is now a northeast state bordering Thailand.

Today, PAS is trying to bring back these ancient laws in impoverished Kelantan state, which PAS has controlled since its 1990 election victory.

Their first reign over Kelantan state, starting in 1959, lasted 19 years.

PAS leader Haji Fadzil Mohammad Noor, a graduate of Al Azhar university in Cairo, Egypt, and now in his mid-60s, is a fourth-term assemblyman in the northwest state of Kedah, also bordering southern Thailand.

As one of Malaysia's main opposition parties, PAS claims "half a million registered members."

Most of Malaysia's 20 million, ethnically diverse people don't favor the Islamic platform of PAS, because Muslims comprise only about half of this nation's population, and most Muslims are considered too tolerant and modern.

Subky hopes popular disgust with the government's rough treatment of Anwar will change all that.

"Mahathir is a dictator. Cronyism, nepotism, he has all the labels given to Suharto," Subky said, referring to the disgraced Indonesian president who was toppled in May.

Instead, PAS hails alternative heroes for the public to adore.

Here at PAS headquarters, the front windows are decorated with a pair of big color posters portraying bin Laden.

The caption quotes bin Laden vowing, "We declare jihad (holy war) on the American government, because they are a country of criminals, ruthless and unjust.

"If our efforts to liberate the Islamic people is regarded as a terrorist act, then to us it is an honor," bin Laden adds.

Asked about the bin Laden posters, Subky replied, "Bin Laden sacrificed all his wealth to fight against communists in Afghanistan, so we are very proud of his commitment.

"Unlike other people with that kind of riches, he went fighting. So we are proud of him, just for that.

"We condemn the bombing" of the US embassies, Subky stressed, saying PAS was peaceful and opposed terrorism.

He said "we condemn" the US missile attacks against Sudan and Afghanistan also, "because this is violating their rights. Clinton should seek the opinion of the United Nations, and consult the Security Council" before unleashing deadly bombardments.

Asked what society, or nation, PAS uses as a model for its vision of a future Malaysia, Subky answered, "We have no model now. But we had our model, Medina, 1,500 years ago. In history, that's the model."

About 1,500 years ago Islam's prophet, Mohammad, was born in Mecca in the year 570, and died in Medina in 632, creating two holy cities in present-day Saudi Arabia.

The prophet also turned Medina into the world's first Islamic society -- with laws which became Shariah laws, and a constitution regarded as Islam's first political document. Medina became the model for all other Islamic societies.

"Iran is aiming for that, they want to do that, so we have to see, we have to give them that chance," Subky said.

"Sudan is going to have that. But Sudan has to develop the economy. Now, Sudan is working toward that."

Closer to home, PAS is meanwhile helping to rally the nation to support justice for Anwar, as a wedge to increase 47-year-old PAS's popularity.

Anwar is currently in prison awaiting trial on November 2. Anwar insisted he is innocent.

Tens of thousands of Malaysians have staged waves of pro-Anwar protests in Kuala Lumpur's bustling streets since his arrest in September.

Subky said PAS proudly helped launch a travelling "roadshow," along with other parties and groups, to stage protest rallies in various cities.

"Basically, we are now stressing the injustice (of Anwar's case), abolishment of the ISA (Internal Security Act), the release of detainees unconditionally -- or bring them to court -- and no police brutality."

But he denied PAS was involved in a series of illegal, pro-Anwar street protests in the capital, despite popular perception that PAS is orchestrating the Kuala Lumpur marches as well.

Ironically, PAS doesn't support Anwar as a person, nor as a politician, and instead considers him a turncoat.

"We have no interest in Anwar," Subky said. The reason PAS joined Anwar's supporters was merely for "justice."

Subky said Mahathir's battle against Anwar creates a vacuum which only PAS can fill, hopefully before the next election, which Mahathir can call anytime between now and June 2000.

"With Anwar facing the present situation, and other circumstances, people are looking to PAS. What is PAS going to do now? Whether we like it or don't like it, people are asking for PAS to do something, as the only hope of the people."

PAS is trying to topple the formerly omnipotent UMNO, the United Malays National Organization, which is the party of Mahathir who has ruled Malaysia for the past 17 years.

"When the people see that UMNO no longer enjoys the confidence of the people, the people look to PAS as the next one, automatically.

"We are the only alternative. So they are waiting, they are coming to us. They are already disappointed. And therefore we shouldn't let them remain disappointed.

"We have to accept the challenge."

Before 1982, Anwar "was our friend, he was the chairman of ABIM (the Muslim Youth Movement) when our (PAS leader) Fadzil Noor was his deputy.

"In 1982, Anwar resigned and joined UMNO, and caught us by surprise, because all the way he was our friend.

"UMNO never struggled for Islam, and is politically bankrupt in Islam. It cannot say anything about Islam. And Anwar joined this party.

"That party was, at that time, a corrupted party with malpractices, money politics, and all the mischievousness that we have now.

"Anwar is a weak man now. We pity him. Before I trusted him, but now there's a question mark because when he joined UMNO, he joined all the culprits."