The recent intrusion on a Hindu wedding by officers from the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) on Sunday proves that Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (below) is unable to protect the rights of non-Muslims in the state, the MCA has charged.
MCA Religious Harmony Bureau deputy chairperson Ng Chok Sin said this was not the first time the religious body had acted so “high-handedly” and without the state government’s consent.
Ng, in a statement today, cited the January raid of the Bible Society of Malaysia in which over 300 copies of the Malay and Iban-language Bible were seized, as well as the 2011 raid of a thanksgiving dinner being held at a church compound in Petaling Jaya.
“Apparently JAIS has ignored the directive of the Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim that it must notify the state government before taking action.
“This ineffectively questions the power that the MB and state government have over Jais after these type of cases have arisen before,” Ng said, questioning the MB’s sincerity in assisting non-Muslims in resolving religious issues.
As such, he said there was no longer any guarantee that other non-Muslim places of worship will be spared from future raids.
“We are worried that similar incidents, which violate the rights of the non-Muslims, will also befall other Hindu, Buddhist or Taoist temples, Sikh Gurdwaras or Christian churches and chapels.”
Selangor could lose voter confidence
On Sunday, Jais officers disrupted a Hindu wedding which was being carried out at a temple in Petaling Jaya, acting on a complaint that the bride is Muslim.
It was later revealed that the 32-year old bride had grown up as a Hindu, even though her identity card marked her and her siblings as Muslims after her father had converted them when young.
She claimed her father had long since abandoned the family and that she had twice attempted to correct her MyKad but without success.
Meanwhile in another statement, DAP’s Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi (left) labelled Jais’ action as “savage” and urged both the state and federal governments to view the matter seriously.
He said while the Selangor government has no absolute power over Jais, which reports to the sultan, the state has an obligation to assert its influence in solving religious disputes in the state.
Ooi said the Khalid-led government’s failure to do so would result in loss of confidence in Pakatan Rakyat among Selangor voters.
MCA Religious Harmony Bureau deputy chairperson Ng Chok Sin said this was not the first time the religious body had acted so “high-handedly” and without the state government’s consent.Ng, in a statement today, cited the January raid of the Bible Society of Malaysia in which over 300 copies of the Malay and Iban-language Bible were seized, as well as the 2011 raid of a thanksgiving dinner being held at a church compound in Petaling Jaya.
“Apparently JAIS has ignored the directive of the Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim that it must notify the state government before taking action.
“This ineffectively questions the power that the MB and state government have over Jais after these type of cases have arisen before,” Ng said, questioning the MB’s sincerity in assisting non-Muslims in resolving religious issues.
As such, he said there was no longer any guarantee that other non-Muslim places of worship will be spared from future raids.
“We are worried that similar incidents, which violate the rights of the non-Muslims, will also befall other Hindu, Buddhist or Taoist temples, Sikh Gurdwaras or Christian churches and chapels.”
Selangor could lose voter confidence
On Sunday, Jais officers disrupted a Hindu wedding which was being carried out at a temple in Petaling Jaya, acting on a complaint that the bride is Muslim.
It was later revealed that the 32-year old bride had grown up as a Hindu, even though her identity card marked her and her siblings as Muslims after her father had converted them when young.
She claimed her father had long since abandoned the family and that she had twice attempted to correct her MyKad but without success.
Meanwhile in another statement, DAP’s Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi (left) labelled Jais’ action as “savage” and urged both the state and federal governments to view the matter seriously.He said while the Selangor government has no absolute power over Jais, which reports to the sultan, the state has an obligation to assert its influence in solving religious disputes in the state.
Ooi said the Khalid-led government’s failure to do so would result in loss of confidence in Pakatan Rakyat among Selangor voters.
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