Perkasa and Christian rights are strangers, says CFM

The right of Christians to use the Al-Kitab, a Malay-language bible, is protected by the Federal Constitution, not accorded by Perkasa, says the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM).

CFM, which is the largest umbrella for Christians in the country, said this in response to calls by Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali to ban the Al-Kitab.

"Indeed Ibrahim Ali is proving that some are easily confused.

"There is difference between rights under the constitution and rights purportedly accorded by one group to another group," CFM chairperson Reverend Eu Hong Seng (right) told Malaysiakiniin an email statement.

"We are focused on our rights to manage our own faith as provided for under Article 11(3) of the Federal Constitution," he added.

Ibrahim had called on the government to ban the Al-Kitab after accusing the Christian community of ingratitude for insisting on use the word "Allah".

Right-wing Malay nationalist groups have claimed that the word "Allah" is exclusive to the Muslim community.

On Monday, the Court of Appeal judged that the word "Allah" was not an integral part of the Christian fait, forbidding the community from using the word to refer to God.

Th decision has sparked disquiet in Sabah and Sarawak which have a substantial Malay-speaking Christian community which have used the word "Allah" for generations.

In response to the reaction, the government announced that the two states may continue using the word but critics have questioned the constitutionality of having separate laws for East and West Malaysia.