Putrajaya is still committed to the 10-point solution on the use of the term "Allah" by Christians, irrespective of the recent controversy surrounding enforcement activities by Selangor's religious authorities.
According to Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, the cabinet had reaffirmed its commitment towards the 10-point solution when it met yesterday, but will not interfere with what happened with Selangor.
Khairy said that cabinet was of the opinion that Selangor has to deal with the situation on its own.
"Of course the federal government is committed towards the 10-point agreement. That is something we made very clear," he told reporters after attending a conference in Kuala Lumpur.
Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) raided the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) on Jan 2 and confiscated 300 copies of the Bible in the Malay language and 10 copies of the Bible in the Iban language.
Importers of scriptures
Jais claimed that they were merely enforcing the Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988 which bans the use of the term "Allah", among others, by non-Muslims in the state.
However, BSM argued that it merely functions as importers of scriptures for consumption of Christians and are not propagating the religion among non-Muslims.
They also claim that Jais is not respecting the 10-point solution and this sparked a debate about the rights of non-Muslims to freedom of religion in the country.
When asked why the government won't intervene using the 10-Points solution, Khairy said it was not so easy.
"Of course, the 10-points cannot supersede state laws," Khairy said.
"In order for any discourse to happen, they have to resolve the discourse at the state level first. It's tough because this is a federal country and different states have different laws."
He explained that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (right) was also watching the situation.
"Najib has been very consistent and clear... first he wants to ensure that the temperature is cool."
The 10-point solution is Putrajaya's policy formulated in 2011 prior to the Sarawak state election and has no legal standing.
Among other things, it allows Christian groups to import Bibles in all languages, including Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia without restriction.
The Bibles in peninsula must however carry the words “Christian Publication” and the cross symbol printed on the front covers.
According to Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, the cabinet had reaffirmed its commitment towards the 10-point solution when it met yesterday, but will not interfere with what happened with Selangor.
Khairy said that cabinet was of the opinion that Selangor has to deal with the situation on its own."Of course the federal government is committed towards the 10-point agreement. That is something we made very clear," he told reporters after attending a conference in Kuala Lumpur.
Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) raided the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) on Jan 2 and confiscated 300 copies of the Bible in the Malay language and 10 copies of the Bible in the Iban language.
Importers of scriptures
Jais claimed that they were merely enforcing the Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988 which bans the use of the term "Allah", among others, by non-Muslims in the state.
However, BSM argued that it merely functions as importers of scriptures for consumption of Christians and are not propagating the religion among non-Muslims.
They also claim that Jais is not respecting the 10-point solution and this sparked a debate about the rights of non-Muslims to freedom of religion in the country.
When asked why the government won't intervene using the 10-Points solution, Khairy said it was not so easy.
"Of course, the 10-points cannot supersede state laws," Khairy said.
"In order for any discourse to happen, they have to resolve the discourse at the state level first. It's tough because this is a federal country and different states have different laws."He explained that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (right) was also watching the situation.
"Najib has been very consistent and clear... first he wants to ensure that the temperature is cool."
The 10-point solution is Putrajaya's policy formulated in 2011 prior to the Sarawak state election and has no legal standing.
Among other things, it allows Christian groups to import Bibles in all languages, including Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia without restriction.
The Bibles in peninsula must however carry the words “Christian Publication” and the cross symbol printed on the front covers.
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