Published: By The Malaysia Insider 14 November 2014
The Sultan of
Selangor witnessing the handing over of the seized Bibles to Chairman of the
Association of Churches in Sarawak, Rev Archbishop Datuk Bolly Lapok. Also
present was Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali (in blue baju Melayu). – Pic
courtesy of Selangor press secretariat, November 14, 2014.
SELANGOR:-Malay
and Iban Bibles seized by the Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) from The Bible
Society of Malaysia (BSM) in January were today returned to Christians in
Sarawak through the Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS) in a formal
ceremony at the Selangor palace.
They were handed to Sarawak Christians and not to
the Peninsular-based BSM as part of the condition that such material was not to
be distributed in Selangor, especially among Muslims, a statement from the
Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) later said.
Earlier, Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali had
tweeted: "An amicable resolution to the issue of the seizure of the Malay
language Bibles containing the word Allah."
Along with his tweet, he included a photograph of
himself and the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, watching a
handover ceremony of a copy of a Bible to ACS chairman, Rev Archbishop Datuk
Bolly Lapok.
In a statement issued after the 10am ceremony, Mais
said that the Selangor Sultan had commanded that the Bibles be returned to the
ACS, after the public prosecutor decided not to prosecute any party over the
matter.
Mais chairman Datuk Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa said
Jais had referred the case to the Attorney-General on June 19, in accordance
with the sultan's decree.
"The public prosecutor has ordered that the
disposal of the Bibles containing the word 'Allah' be made in accordance with
the law," said Adzib in the statement.
"Thus taking into account the order and the
matter has been conveyed to His Royal Highness the Sultan of Selangor to
discuss the issue, and after consulting the Council of the Royal Court, Mais
was commanded by His Royal Highness to dispose of these Bibles containing the
word 'Allah' by returning them to the ACS."
He added that the return of the Bibles were made
with strict conditions that they were not to be distributed in Selangor,
especially among Muslims, and were only for the Christians in Sarawak to use.
"This settlement is to respect each other's
religious beliefs and maintain the sensitivity of various religions in the
country.
"In addition to the above, His Royal Highness
the Sultan of Selangor expects other faiths to also respect and protect the
religious sensitivities of Muslims in the country, especially in the state of
Selangor, and hope that the distribution as well as the printing of Bibles that
contain the word 'Allah' is no longer done in the state of Selangor, as it is
an offence under the Non-Islamic Religious Enactment (Control Development Among
Muslims), 1988."
A total of 351 copies of the Malay language Alkitab
and the Iban Bible, Bup Kudus, which also contains the word "Allah"
were seized from the BSM bookshop in Damansara on January 2.
BSM's then president, Lee Min Choon, and the office
manager Sinclair Wong were taken for police questioning and later released.
Jais had said the seizure was done in accordance
with the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions Enactment 1988 which prohibits
non-Muslims from using the Arabic word for "God".
Jais and the Selangor Islamic Religious Council
(Mais) had refused to return the Bibles even after the Attorney-General said
there was no basis to charge BSM as the Bibles were not a threat to national
security.
The two religious bodies also defied orders by the
Pakatan Rakyat-led state government under former menteri besar Tan Sri Khalid
Ibrahim to return the Bibles, saying the state administration could not
interfere in Jais's and Mais's responsibilities to manage Islamic affairs.
In a statement, Azmin thanked the sultan for his
"wisdom and foresight" in resolving the matter and reminded Selangor
citizens to respect the status of Islam as the State religion.
"However, as freedom of religion is enshrined
in the constitution, extremist sentiments, race baiting and religious
fanaticism will not be part of the administration," he said.
He said his administration would pursue "all
means possible to enhance and foster communal and religious understanding in
Selangor".
Bolly, who is also the Bishop of Kuching, said in a
statement later that ACS welcomed the return of the Bibles and thanks the
sultan for his intervention.
"It would not have been proper to allow these
Bibles to be stored indefinitely or destroyed. In this manner, the Bibles are
being delivered to the ACS for distribution in Sarawak," Bolly said.
He said the Bibles would be distributed for use by
Christians in Sarawak. – November 14, 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment