KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 — The religious freedom of Christian Bumiputeras is under attack, a Sabah church group today said, following controversial calls by Malay-right wing group Perkasa and unknown individuals to burn the Alkitab, the Malay-language Bible, over the use of the word Allah.
“The increasingly provocative attacks by certain quarters against the Malay-language Bible, the Alkitab, is a direct attack on the rights of Bumiputera Christians to their religious freedom as enshrined in their agreements at the formation of Malaysia and in the Federal Constitution,” the National Fellowship (NECF) Commission on Sabah Affairs (COSA) wrote in a statement signed by its chairman Rev Datuk Jerry Dusing today.
File photo of a protest against the Alkitab in Kuala Lumpur.
It said that the east Malaysian natives use the Alkitab extensively in their practice of the religion even while they work and study in Peninsular Malaysia.
It highlighted another incident which it claims is an attempt to undermine the Christian community’s religious freedom — the purported “arbitrary changing” of the religious status of Sabah native Christians in identity cards to reflect that they are Muslims, allegedly due to the presence of “bin” and “binti” in their names.
The NECF-COSA also urged the government to probe Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali, who had earlier this week called on Muslims to burn the Malay version of the Bible containing the word “Allah” and other religious Arabic script.
“It is within the mandate of the authorities to investigate Member of Parliament Ibrahim Ali for calling on Muslims to seize and burn the Alkitab, according to the full measure of the law to ensure peace and harmony in the country.”
Yesterday, Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali was reported saying that Ibrahim has been contacted by the police over reports lodged against him and investigations will start in two days.
The Sabah Christian group also asked for action over the distribution of anonymous pamphlets advertising a “festival” to burn Malay-language bibles, which was reported by a pastor on Tuesday.
“It is also within the mandate of the authorities to investigate the threatening note sent by a group that calls itself ‘Pasukan Bertindak Anti Bible Bahasa Melayu’ on its plan to hold a ‘pesta’ to burn Malay bibles.”
Yesterday, Penang police chief DCP Datuk Abd Rahim Hanafi said the police will not hesitate to take stern action against anyone who joins in the purported “festival” this Sunday in Butterworth.
“I urge the public not to be influenced but the ‘rumours’ in this pamphlet which was obviously created by irresponsible individuals to threaten the safety and harmony of the public,” he said.
He also warned the public not to spread further rumours on this matter and that those found to spread such rumours will be arrested and charged under sections 298 and 507 of the Penal Code with uttering words with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any religious groups and criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication respectively.
The NECF-COSA urged Christians not to retaliate but to be patient and forgiving.
The calls to burn the Alkitab are due to a dispute over its use of the word “Allah”, which some Muslims have said are exclusive to Islam.
The “Allah” dispute, which first erupted after the watershed Election 2008, remains a hot-button topic in the run-up to this year’s polls.
Debate resurfaced last month after DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who is also the Penang chief minister, called on Putrajaya in his Christmas message to lift a ban on Malay-language bibles in Borneo Malaysia.
Hot on the heels of the DAP leader’s remarks, several state Rulers and Islamic religious authorities reminded non-Muslims of state laws banning use of the word despite conflicting with a 2009 High Court judgment that ruled “Allah” was not exclusive to Islam.
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