Anwar slams Perkasa's Bible-burning call: Another BN conspiracy against Guan Eng exposed?

UPDATED Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim condemned the Najib administration for staying silent on the call by extremist group Perkasa to "seize and burn" Malay-language Bibles, describing the inaction as an "abdication of responsibility and governance".

"We are not afraid to be called pro-Christian because it is not our role to denigrate any religion. To burn the Bible is something that should be condemned by all Malaysians including the Muslims," Anwar told a press conference on Wednesday.

Since the shock call by Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali last weekend to Muslims to unite and burn all Malay-language Bibles that contain the word “Allah”, Christian groups and other social activists have lodged police reports against the Umno-backed group.

Pakatan Rakyat leaders, especially the Muslim ones, too have lost no time in making police complaints despite jeers and insinuations from Najib's Umno party that to do so was to be 'disloyal' to islam.

“We can condemn and disagree all we want, but if there is proof of any Christian trying to proselytise to a Muslim, then we bring this to court. But to burn or threaten to burn that which those of another faith consider it to be their holy book, this is an extreme act that should be rejected by all Malaysians, including Muslims,” said Anwar.

Umno-BN media roped in to stir up another Christian conspiracy?

Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng whom the BN-controlled media has repeatedly accused of stirring up the Allah issue during an event on Christmas day last year, has urged the police to take swift action against any group wishful of burning the Bible.

Guan Eng's statement comes as Pakatan Rakyat watchers warn of a possible conspiracy to further blow up the issue and make the DAP leader and his party the scapegoats.

They point to an anonymous pamphlet notifying that there would be a "festival" to burn the Malay Bible this Sunday at 10am in front of the Dewan Ahmad Badawi at the Bagan Luar municipality field in Butterworth and questioned what if a provocateur was used to burn the Quran.

"It would be unimaginable if someone really burned the Quran in Malaysia. Not only is it possible for violence to flare up and get the Muslims here all worked up, it can easily become an international issue like the Bible burning in the US, Salman Rushdie who has to go into exile and the recent anti-Prophet Muhammad movie which led to the US ambassador in Libya being assassinated," PKR head of disciplinary committee Tan Kee Kwong told Malaysia Chronicle when asked to comment about the possibility and its ramifications.

Pre-emptive action

Like Anwar, Guan Eng also called on Najib and his administration to put political affiliation aside and take deterrent action against Perkasa.

"The Penang state government unreservedly condemns such provocative, irresponsible and dangerous attempts to burn the Malay version of the Bible, which would also burn down the country with hatred and religious intolerance. The Penang state government urges Minister of Home Affairs Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein Onn to impose stringent measures to prevent such abhorrent and vile acts that would endanger national harmony and heighten religious tensions," Guan Eng said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

"At the same time, the Penang state government strongly condemns Perkasa for calling for the burning of the Malay version of the Bible in Penang. Whether Perkasa is involved or not, there is no doubt that such inflammatory pamphlets were distributed after Perkasa had issued this fiery threat. Clearly, the continued support of Perkasa by the federal government and BN can no longer be justified merely to gain political capital. Therefore stern action should be taken by the Federal government according to the law against Perkasa to prove that such threats by Perkasa is neither sanctioned nor condoned by the Federal government leaders."

Christians demand action, protection

Amongst Christian groups, there are also calls for their leaders to take a more vocal approach in getting Prime Minister Najib Razak to act against Ibrahim, and for the authorities to protect the Christian community.

Apart from Najib's deafening silence, the Attorney General Gani Patail too has come under fire for refusing to charge Ibrahim, brushing off calls to do so with the explanation that he did not think Ibrahim would really carry out his threat.

Meanwhile, National Evangelical Christian Fellowship chairman Reverend Dr Eu Hong Seng, has described the threat an “unfortunate proposal” and a "serious reminder" to Malaysia's multiracial society not to take racial harmony for granted.

“This unfortunate proposal to burn Malay Bibles containing the word ‘Allah’ serves as a serious reminder to all Malaysians to be more measured in our responses, the next time we hear of some unreasonable people in the West wanting to burn other people’s Scriptures, because we too have our fair share of unreasonable people,” said Dr Eu.

Heightened religious and racial politicking ahead of GE13

Malaysia is due to hold its 13th general election by June 2013 at the latest. Heightened religious and racial politicking have been anticipated, with Najib's Umno party accused of playing mind-games with its core Malay-Muslim electorate base.

It is ironic that Perkasa, whose patron is past Umno president and ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad, has lit the latest fuse to the ongoing "Allah" saga where Muslim groups including the Opposition's PAS party insist that only Muslims can use the word to describe God.

Perkasa was founded in 2009 in the wake of a landmark High Court decision overturning a Home Ministry ban on non-Muslims using the word. Along with Umno, they staged protests at several mosques resulting in a string of churches being attacked by Molotov cocktails or petrol bombs.

Najib was slammed for giving the tacit green light for the attacks as he had refused to chide Perkasa and defended Umno's right to hold mass demonstrations against the Court's ruling. In July 2011, the PM and his wife tried to make peace with the Christian community in Malaysia by visting the Vatican, where they were granted an audience with the Pope.

However, his sincerity was questioned when upon his return to Malaysia, Najib again reverted to religious and racial politicking. “The government will engage with Christian groups here that love peace and respect the country’s Islamic leadership. We wish to tell our friends the Malaysian Christians… if they respect us, we will also respect them,” Bernama had reported Najib as saying.

Christians were offended by his remarks, reacting with anger and disappointment. Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian questioned if the PM was intentionally insinuating that Christians did not respect Islam. “Being a Christian means you respect other religion, be it Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism. No Christian will ever dispute that fact, so why is the PM implying as if Christians do not respect other religions, what more Islam,” Baru had toldMalaysia Chronicle.

Malaysia Chronicle