KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA says any form of "Talibanisation" in Malaysia will not be tolerated as moderation is the only option for the future of the country.

Its president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the Federal Government was committed to the practice of moderation and multi-culturalism.

He said any move to demolish Pulau Langkawi's iconic eagle statue must be stopped.

On Friday, Perak deputy mufti Zamri Hashim wrote in a local daily that Islam forbade full-bodied statues of living creatures such as humans or animals, and the eagle statue should be demolished.

"It's just his personal view and we must remember that he is not even from Kedah. But to avoid ambiguity, it is best that the Kedah state government puts an end to any idea to demolish it," Liow said in a statement on Monday.

Liow said Kedah was under Barisan Nasional rule, which advocated moderation and did not believe "in the Taliban way."

He said that when PAS came to power in Terengganu in 1999, the first thing the then state mentri besar Datuk Seri Hadi Awang did was to demolish a replica of a turtle at a roundabout in Kuala Terengganu, using the same argument that it was akin to idol worshipping.

"Likewise, when PAS took over Kelantan, the party changed Pantai Cinta Berahi (Beach of Passionate Love) to Pantai Cahaya Bulan (Moonlight Beach).

"Despite all the stringent rules in Kelantan, including gender segregation and summonses on non-Muslim traders of unisex salons and a watch dealer for putting up posters of models who don't cover their heads, we all know PAS has no answer to the host of problems in Kelantan such as AIDS and drug abuses," he said.

Liow said the DAP campaigned hard for PAS in the 2013 general election, saying that the former must take responsibility for allowing voices of religious extremism to grow.

-The STAR-