Why no action on UiTM anti-Christianity seminar after 8 months, ask complainants

A number of police reports were lodged in Shah Alam and Sarawak over an anti-Christian seminar held in Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in May last year. Until today, there has been no progress on the reports. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 8, 2015.

Several people, including some from Sarawak, who lodged complaints against an anti-Christian seminar held in Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in May last year have questioned police inaction and silence over the reports, suggesting that the authorities have swept the issue under the carpet.

One of them, Christopher Johann Jabat, who is based in Kuching, asked if the case has been closed.

Expressing disappointment over police inaction on his complaint, the 30-year-old Iban administrative assistant said he was informed by police that they would open a file based on his report and call him up if there was any development.

"But I've not received any call from them. It is obvious that they are sweeping the matter under the carpet and that no follow-up has been done," said Jabat, who lodged the report at the Simpang Tiga police station in Kuching a few days after the seminar.

He added that it was now up to leaders such as Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem to raise the matter so that police would be prompted to do their job and investigate the reports made by Sarawakians against the seminar.

At the May 6 seminar, which featured speakers from Indonesia, the audience was told that undercover Christian priests had been sent to Malaysia under different guises, including working with Muslim children as football coaches, to proselytise and convert Muslims.

The seminar on the use of the word "Allah" and Christology also featured a talk on "10 reasons why Christians should become Muslims" and belittled the Bible by alleging that it contained "tales".

The seminar was jointly organised by the Academy of Contemporary Islamic Studies, UiTM, Warisan Ibnu Aaby and the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais), and supported by Utusan Malaysia, Kumpulan Karangkraf, TV Al-Hijrah, Zikay Group and Pantai Bharu Group of Companies.

Among those who lodged reports against the seminar was Melanau Muslim Abdul Halim Hamdian, who criticised the lack of police action, saying that his reason for making the report was to ensure such events did not make their way into Sarawak.

But Halim, who lodged his report at the Dalat police station, is not confident that much will come out of his complaint, saying that people should instead focus their energy on raising awareness on the need to accept each other's faith.

Suzie Kulleh, 41, from Kota Samarahan, who had lodged a report at the Simpang Tiga police station, also wanted to know the progress of investigations.

She added, however, that more people from the peninsula should have lodged reports as well given that the incident took place in Selangor.

"I am disappointed that there were not more (peninsular) Malaysians and Christian leaders who complained to the authorities against the seminar.

"And it is not only about Christianity, we must stand firm against any religion being discriminated against," she told The Malaysian Insider.

Copies of books published by Mais on the threat of Christianisation and alleged evangelism among Muslims in Malaysia were also distributed to more than 1,000 students present at the seminar.

The book entitled "Pendedahan Agenda Kristian" warned Muslims to watch out for "tricks" by Christians to sway them from their faith.

The book also claimed that the main reason there was apostasy among Muslims was because of Christianisation.

Another book, titled "Obligation to preserve the sanctity of the name Allah", explained why non-Muslims, in particular Christians, cannot be allowed to use the word “Allah”.

Meanwhile, lawyer Annou Xavier, who is acting for two people who lodged reports in Selangor against the seminar, said he would write to the police again to find out the status of the case.

Private college lecturer Perzeus James and author Uthaya Sankar Narayanan, who alleged the seminar had vilified Christianity, had lodged police reports in Shah Alam two days after the seminar.

They were subsequently called up by the police twice – a week after the lodged their reports to have their statements recorded and again in June, where they were quizzed about “what exactly they were unhappy about”.

When they did not hear from the police after that, the duo in September instructed Xavier to write to the Shah Alam police chief requesting for an update on the reports lodged. In the letter addressed to Assistant Commissioner Azisman Alias and Inspector Rohaini Baharom on September 11, Uthaya and Perzeus also asked whether their complaints were being investigated under the Penal Code or the Sedition Act.

It was later found that one of the speakers at the seminar, who claimed to be a former Catholic priest turned Muslim, had used a false identity.

Insan L.S. Mokoginta had told the seminar that he was a former Catholic priest who converted to Islam in 1976.

However, the Bishops Conference of Indonesia confirmed that Mokoginta’s identity was false. Its executive secretary Father Edy Purwanto said he had no information or data on Mokoginta.

The Malaysian Insider also contacted the Selangor Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk Mohd Adnan Abdullah on the status of the investigations but was told that police would not reveal details of the investigation to the media.

"We will only inform the complainant not the media. It is our SOP (standard operating procedure)," said Adnan.

He, however, added that if the media wanted to know the status of the investigation, they could write in officially Azisman, who is the Shah Alam police chief.

"The report was lodged in Shah Alam and it was being investigated by the officer in Shah Alam police district headquarters. Please write in officially to the OCPD," he told The Malaysian Insider.

- TMI