Local muftis believe it is unfair for former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to pin the blame of the bloody 1985 Memali incident on them.

On Saturday, Mahathir chided muftis at the time for not speaking out against Amanat Hadi – an infamous address by current PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, which many believe instigated the followers of Kedah PAS leader Ibrahim Mahmud (or Ibrahim Libya) to kill police officers.

Perak mufti Harussani Zakaria said it was particularly unfair to accuse muftis of not doing anything to prevent the incident as the then government under Mahathir (photo) rarely consulted Islamic scholars on most issues.

Harussani was quoted as saying in Sinar Harian that Mahathir's accusation is nothing but an attempt to absolve himself for the violence.

The mufti also pointed out how anyone could be charged under the now defunct Internal Security Act 1960 during Mahathir's administration.

“And now, when he (Mahathir) thinks it is wrong, he is trying to cover his mistakes by blaming it on others,” he said.

Pahang mufti Abdul Rahman Osman concurred, claiming that it is wrong for Mahathir to blame muftis for not doing anything at the time.

He was quoted as saying in Utusan Malaysia that Amanat Hadi was just a PAS' view, not a fatwa that could have been challenged.

The incident in Memali, Kedah, saw four police officers and 14 villagers, including Ibrahim Libya, killed during a raid.

The police had wanted to arrest Ibrahim after he was accused of leading a cult.

Critics have said that the bloodshed was a result of police brutality. Mahathir, however, insisted that police were only defending themselves after being attacked by the villagers.