KUALA LUMPUR - Bumiputra Christians living in peninsular Malaysia are feeling hard done by, as some of the rights they always had in Sabah and Sarawak have suddenly disappeared down the alleyways of regional rule-making.
Ending a standoff that started in January, Islamic religious authorities in Selangor recently returned over 300 Bibles they had seized but only after marking them in red with a warning against use in the state because the books refer to God by the Arabic word “Allah.”
That would not have happened in Sabah or Sarawak.
Although the Bibles were not meant to be used in Selangor, the situation has left many East Malaysian Christians feeling a little uneasy that the certainties of their home states are worth less across the South China Sea.
Forty something Sarawakian Oswald Bindin described the rules as problematic, forcing him to reflect on questions of identity, origin and citizenship after making Selangor his home for 22 years.
“We see a double standard. For example, I’m from Sarawak and there is no restriction there. I want to ask, what is my status now that I’m in the peninsula?
“I want to ask, am I an immigrant or am I a citizen, this is a question I want to ask, this is important,” the practising Iban Catholic told Malay Mail Online in Malay.
Malaysians “don’t have a choice” and are “ forced to follow” whatever the government, or the people in power decide, he added.
The controversy over non-Muslim usage of the Arabic word for God erupted in 2007 when the federal government first banned the Catholic Church from publishing the word “Allah” in the Malay section of its weekly newspaper, Herald.
The Catholic Church retaliated by filing a legal suit against the government. A lengthy legal battle followed and Malaysia’s highest court ruled last year that the paper cannot use the word “Allah” as it is not integral to Christianity.
To add to the confusion, Putrajaya then assured Malaysians that the ruling only applied to the Herald and that the word “Allah” can still be used during Malay services as well as in Bibles.
Since 2007, the federal government and Selangor religious bodies have been targeting Christians over the fear that Muslims in the country will convert to Christianity, the third largest religion in a population of 30 million.
States such as Selangor have also been enforcing laws against the use of Allah by non-Muslims even though some say it conflicts with the provision for religious freedom in the Federal Constitution. Local language Bibles with “Allah” in them have been confiscated, compact discs too.
Another Iban from Sarawak, Matthew Jambon, 40, who has lived in Selangor for the past 19 years said he accepts the rules here but insisted that it will not change the way he practises his faith.
“It’s alright, since we live in Selangor, we will just adhere to the rules in Selangor. If we are in Sarawak, we will follow the rules in Sarawak.
“We respect them but our faith is per usual and we still use our mother tongue,” he said with a smile.
But his wife pointed out that newly-arrived Sarawakians will struggle to change the way they worship.
“We moved here for work, of course we bring our faith along and our reference is the Bible, and we are more comfortable with Malay, so how then?” she asked.
Matthew expects to deal with the issue quietly since he cannot do much to change things.
He said he will pray that he along with fellow Bumiputra Christians would get their right to religious freedom and to worship in their mother tongue, which is Malay.
A first semester student at a skills training institute, 19-year-old Jeremy Wesley who is a relatively new arrival from Sarawak, said the rule was unfair as it limits the freedom of Bumiputra Christians even though the Federal Constitution protects religious freedom
“I am not scared to use the Bibles but I don’t think it’s fair, there is no justice in this situation,” the Sarawakian of Kayan descent told Malay Mail Online.
Andrea Olaybal, 35, a Sino Filipino form Sabah, however, said the different set of rules in the same country seemed fair enough as long as the government allows Christians in Sabah and Sarawak to continue using “Allah” in their worship.
“I don’t think it is a problem because we can also understand English. I bring mine (Bible) from Sabah and I use it for my personal use, I don’t think there is an issue with that.” - Malay Mail
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