KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- After police allegedly beat her jailed husband bloody and unconscious, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail stepped into the spotlight, to fight against "oppression" and insist he is innocent of sodomy and corruption charges. "I have six children," Wan Azizah said with a laugh. "If you think he's bisexual, six children is a lot," she told The City Times in a taped interview inside her expensive home, which is decorated with large Arabic calligraphy denoting religious passages from Islam's holy book, the Koran. She said the charges of sodomy and corruption, splashed in graphic detail across government-controlled newspapers, are a plot to destroy the reputation of her husband, former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, as a sincere Moslem. "It is a way of character assassination. If someone is religious, then you will link him to doing something morally wrong." Wan Azizah, clad in an Islamic "tudung" head scarf, said homosexuality "is very wrong in our religion. That is supposed to have demeaned him. But if you go and have a consensus among the public, they do not believe" the allegations. "I believe it is a political conspiracy to bring him down." Asked if Anwar is, or ever was, gay or bisexual as charged in the court, she replied adamantly, "No. I am very supportive of my husband and I believe he is innocent." The good news for Wan Azizah, 45, is that she is being compared to Burma's bold pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The bad news is Suu Kyi languished under house arrest for six years and today, is still unable to bring democracy to her heavily policed nation. Wan Azizah, an eye doctor, could be heading for a similarly grim fate. The government recently threatened her with imprisonment on sedition charges for saying in a televised interview that she was worried about "rumors" that authorities might inject her husband with HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus which is said to cause Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), in an bizarre effort to portray him as homosexual. "That's right. Exactly. Because of that, I was given the Seditions Act summons, and a statement was taken from me three times," she said. Her arrest would echo the fate her husband Anwar, who is now detained under the dreaded Internal Security Act which allows two years of imprisonment without trial. Buoyed by his post as deputy prime minister, and simultaneously finance minister for the past six years, Anwar was being groomed by his close friend, Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad to lead Malaysia sometime in the 21st century. But Anwar, 51, and Mahathir, 72, recently squabbled about the country's faltering economy, how to expose alleged government corruption, and possibly about Anwar's escalating popularity, especially with international bankers, diplomats and the Malaysian public. As a result of Anwar's dismissal on September 2 and imprisonment 18 days later, Mahathir is now not only prime minister but also in charge of police as home minister, and acting finance minister. Mahathir has not yet named anyone for the number two position of deputy prime minister. Anwar's imprisonment while he awaits his first hearing on November 2, has devastated his wife. "I don't have any idea of what is happening to him now," Wan Azizah said. "Investigations are still going on, and the request for permission to see him is not granted." The last time she saw her husband was in court on October 5, after he received medical treatment for an alleged police beating on September 20 which Anwar said left him unconscious, bleeding from his nose and with a black-eye. "He was wearing a collar, a neck brace. The bruise around his left eye was resolving much more. He was in good spirits, and he told me he lost 18 pounds in 15 days. "He had bread and water for lunch," she said. "That was lunch given to him. 

"Please tell the police not to hurt papa's other eye."

"In the court, we could just manage a few hushed sentences to one another. He said, 'I'm all right. How are the children?'" Their children were distraught. Describing their six-year-old daughter's dismay, Wan Azizah said, "She told me, 'please tell the police not to hurt papa's other eye'." Wan Azizah added, "I have to be prepared for the worst." Anwar's frustrated followers, and others who oppose Mahathir's rule, now hope she can lead Malaysia's smoldering "reform" crusade for a freer society. Wan Azizah is trying to gracefully ascend that pedestal. "I see myself as a big symbol of the goodness of humans, be it in the political, media, police, or judiciary. I think I appeal to that sense of righteousness, and good, in man and women. "The reform that we ask for is to remove the oppression that is stifling the government today. "We have been a democratic country, but it has become so oppressed. We would like to have, of course, an independent judiciary and not become a police state where people are coerced or scared to move around. And the media should be open and free." The government's threat to arrest her for sedition includes forbidding her to speak against the judicial system or other aspects of Malaysia's government apparatus. As a result, when The City Times asked her if Malaysia had an independent justice system, she merely flashed a Mona Lisa smile and waved her hand to indicate she would not discuss that topic. She did, however, perceive some similarities between her plight and that of Burma's pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi, who now inspires her. "There could be similarities, but it's not totally similar circumstances. We are both women suddenly thrown into this situation, and I'm sure she has shown a lot of strength. "I feel I would like to learn from that strength, because she has managed to be resilient all these years. That is very brave. I salute her for that. "But I got a call from Cory Aquino just now, and I'm very honored," she added with delight, referring to the former president of the Philippines who toppled the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos after Aquino's husband -- a political rival of Marcos -- was assassinated in Manila. "And I did ask her, 'Should I have any advice?' Can I seek her out? And she said, 'Yes of course.' "That was very nice. We have to sit down and talk about it. She just said that she had read the report in Time magazine about me, and my interview, and she's impressed by that. "And she also told me that she started with a prayer vigil. So she will pray for me. And we both believe in the power of prayer." Wan Azizah's latest prayers are also directed at US President Clinton and others in Washington -- especially the State Department. "We have heard the statement from the State Department calling for the release of Anwar, my husband, and that he be tried in an open court. "That's very good of them. I think they should voice their concern at how my husband was being dealt with." US Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin said Anwar was "a highly respected member of the international financial community" and "a great force for great good in many ways." Anwar's imprisonment and alleged beating was "deeply, deeply troubling," Rubin added. Diplomats here in Kuala Lumpur, however, have shied away. "The ambassador of Palestine tried to come, but he was turned back by police who told him not to come. He didn't want to make trouble so he left." The Internet meanwhile is flooded with support for Anwar, including websites offering texts of his speeches, details of his case, and blasts against Mahathir's government. The Internet is a valuable tool for Anwar because Malaysia's newspapers, radio and television are tightly controlled. "The reform movement's spark has been lit, and the glow is carrying on," Wan Azizah said. The government "can actually, physically, forcibly control, but you cannot control the hearts and the minds of people."