Issues like the right to use the word ‘Allah’ and the seizure of Bibles have raised the ire of Sarawak Christians, who are now demanding the state to put Selangor Islamic officials on a no-entry blacklist. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, June 17, 2014.A continuing quarrel over confiscated Malay and Iban Bibles in Selangor has raised the ire of Sarawak Christians, who are now demanding the state to put Selangor Islamic officials on a no-entry blacklist – widening a festering religious issue in Malaysia.
Sarawak has already declared a blacklist on people they call religious extremists and racial bigots although they are from other state.
Malaysians from the peninsula require identification or travel documents to enter Sarawak and Sabah under the 1963 Malaysia Agreement.
Those Christians want to see on the blacklist include officials from the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) and the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), particularly Mais president Datuk Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa (pic).
“They are certainly religious bigots and extremists who should be barred from the state,” Sarawak PKR deputy chairman See Chee How said yesterday in Kuching.
He said this after accompanying several Christian leaders to lodge a police report against Mais and Jais for refusing to release the Bibles which Jais had seized in a raid on the Bible Society of Malaysia’s premises on January 2.
“They certainly qualify to be barred,” See said in reference to the policy Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem had resurrected and reinforced, using the state's powers over immigration to deny “racists, extremists, religious bigots and troublemakers” entry into the state.
Anger is mounting in the state against the two Selangor religious authorities' display of intolerance and extremism after Jais refused to comply with Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail's order last Wednesday to release the Malay language (Alkitab) and Iban language (Bap Kudus) Bibles to the BSM.
The A-G said the BSM was cleared of any wrongdoing but Mais instead said the A-G had erred in his decision and insisted there were grounds to prosecute BSM under the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation among Muslims) Enactment 1988.
A defiant Mais is now also seeking a court ruling to destroy the 321 Bibles seized in the raid.
Upping their defiance, Mais had also reiterated Jais, which comes under its purview, will not adhere to the directive issued by the Selangor government because the state had “no power” in the matter.
The Bibles were destined for Sarawak and Sabah under the 10-point agreement that allows the importation and use of such Bibles.
PKR's Mas Gading branch chairman, Boniface Willey Tumek, and secretary, Francis Teron, speaking to reporters after lodging their report, also questioned Mais's defiance.
“Is Mais above the Selangor government and above the Attorney-General's Chambers which is entrusted to decide whether or not a criminal charge should be preferred?” they asked.
They said the statement made by Adzib in defying the A-G's decision and stating the government had no power in the matter, suggested it was.
“Christians and all right-minded Malaysians expect the A-G to do the next logical thing, to give a clear and specific order to Jais to release the Bibles.”
Teron, a lawyer, said the “directive” the A-G gave to Jais was vague and which they correctly feared could be regarded by the Islamic department as “perfunctory”.
The two PKR branch leaders said the defiance had rendered the judiciary “impotent”.
“A loss of confidence in the judiciary can only mean bad news for Malaysia.
“The attorney-general must put his foot down and in no uncertain terms tell Mais and Jais that they are not above him and the courts.
“The Bibles must be released to BSM with further delay.”
PKR state chief Baru Bian said he was "completely flabbergasted at the turn of events in the Bible saga".
“The debate in the peninsula is now turning to the question of whether Mais and Jais are answerable to the sultan or to the state.
“However, Christians in Sarawak and Sabah are not interested in who is the master of these bodies.
"All that concerns us is that we be left alone to practise our faith in peace. Why should our Bibles have been seized in the first place when we were told by the prime minister and his ministers that the ‘Allah’ judgment would not affect us?
“Those Bibles were meant to be for Christians here. Who are those Muslims who might be ‘confused’ and how would they be confused since they would have nothing to do with the Bibles?” Baru asked.
He said Mais and Jais should be ashamed of themselves for bringing their religion into disrepute by trampling on the rights of Christians in this country.
“From previous reports, one cannot help but form the conclusion that Muslims are so weak-willed and possess so little conviction of their faith that they would be confused by publications that they would never set their eyes on.
“Mais and Jais are unable to articulate their case rationally and sensibly, instead relying on their favourite bogeyman of confusion and proselytisation to whip up fear and suspicion where none existed.
“By dismissing the A-G’s decision, they are showing they are ignorant of the laws of this country. We have to question how such people came to be appointed to high offices – the damage and havoc they wreak in our multi-religious communities is not easily repaired.”
He also said by dismissing the A-G’s decision, “Mais and Jais are telling us they are mightier than the Constitution”.
He added that what was more sickening was the "helplessness" of the country’s leaders in this saga.
“Where is the prime minister when we need a leader to put an end to this nonsense?
“These religious bodies are like uncontrollable kids testing their boundaries to see how far they can go."
- TMI
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