Selangor Menteri Besar has betrayed Sultan in ‘Allah’ row, says Umno

Noh Omar talking to the media during the protest against Selangor government and Christians in Ulu Langat today. - The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, January 11, 2014.Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Abdul Ibrahim was today accused by Umno of betraying the Sultan of Selangor when he recently placed restrictions on religious authorities when carrying out their duties in the state.

Selangor Umno chief Datuk Seri Noh Omar (pic) pointed out that when Khalid took his oath before the Sultan of Selangor, he had pledged to uphold and protect the integrity and sanctity of Islam as the official religion.

Noh, however, said Khalid had not adhered to this when he recently announced that the state Islamic Religious Department (Jais) must obtain approval from the state exco before conducting searches which could be deemed sensitive.

Khalid's announcement came on the heels of Jais' controversial raid at the Bible Society in Malaysia (BSM) last week where the raiding party, which included a few police officers, seized more than 300 Malay and Iban bibles.

As the menteri besar, Noh said Khalid should assist the Sultan in defending the religion.

"His statement recently on the new regulations meant he has no respect for the law in Selangor," Noh said.

The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais), however, defended Jais and said the department does not have to inform anybody before carrying out any raids because it will interrupt the investigation process.

Mais chairman Datuk Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa stressed that Jais' raid on BSM last week was provided for under the Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988.

"We applaud Mais, but the statement by the menteri besar showed that the state government does not understand the context of freedom of religion as stated in Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution," said Noh.

Noh also said that Selangor Umno has lodged about 100 police reports on Allah row and warned Christians that if this issue continues, Umno will hold a big gathering soon to fight against "people who have no respect for the law".

Earlier, Noh accompanied by more than 1,000 Umno members and members of several Muslim NGOs from Ulu Langat and Serdang, marched about 500 metres from Masjid Jamek Kajang to the Ulu Langat Umno branch office to show their stand on the Allah issue.

The march ended with the burning of an effigy of Reverend Father Lawrence Andrew, the editor of the Catholic weekly, Herald.

Lawrence is being investigated for sedition when he said that churches in Selangor will continue to use the word Allah in their Bahasa Malaysia masses.

His statement was taken as a direct challenge to an edict by the Sultan of Selangor that non-Muslims in the state were prohibited from using the word Allah.