KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 — Datuk Hasan Mohamed Ali has defended today Selangor religious authorities’ shocking raid and Bible seizure this week, claiming it has jurisdiction over non-Muslims over such matters.

The president of Malay rights group Jalur Tiga Malaysia (Jati) also added that the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) is entitled to act independently without informing the state government, especially during covert raids.

“If we say that Jais has no right to confiscate, to raid and so on, who else is going to enforce such enactments in Selangor? Try asking, who else? To NGOs, to any organisation? To those criticising what Jais did?”

“I think it is logical, practical, and legal for the task to be handed to Jais,” Hasan told the press here, as quoted by news portal Malaysiakini.

The former Selangor executive councillor (exco) in charge of religious affairs also explained that in his experience, Jais has interpreted the law such that the body is the proper enforcement agency for enactments and fatwa in Selangor.

On Thursday, Jais raided the Bible Society of Malaysia’s (BSM) office in Selangor and seized more than 300 copies of the Alkitab and Bup Kudus, the bible in the Malay language and the Iban language respectively that contains the word “Allah”.

Two BSM officials were also detained under the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988 that prohibits non-Muslims in Selangor from using 35 Arabic words and phrases, including the word for God, “Allah”.

Jais’s raid followed its announcement last week that it planned to tell all churches in the state to cease using “Allah” in their worship, as part of the 1988 enactment and a royal decree limiting its use to Islam.

Yesterday, Damansara assemblyman Yeo Bee Yin, Bukit Gasing representative Rajiv Rishyakaran and Lau Weng San of Kampung Tunku banded together in a bid to amend the state law at the centre of the controversial action.

Hasan has warned today that dismantling the law will leave Malaysia open to what he dubbed as “Christianisation”, and unfettered interpretation of human rights, citing other Muslim-majority countries such as Indonesia.

Despite that, Hasan welcomed the challenge against the enactment, since the public would get a chance to evaluate their representatives’ stance on the Islamic law during state assembly debates.

“If the amendment is passed, imagine the consequences. It is not only on Selangor, nor the 13 other states, nor on the similar provision at the federal level,” Hasan said.

“The consequence that I see waiting for us is chaos among the people, especially the people of Selangor.”

Amid the confusion, Selangor will not be commenting on the shock raid until they receive a formal report from its religious authorities and speak to representatives from BSM.

Meanwhile, Jais also has decided not to reply to questions about its right to act on non-Muslims, with its director Ahmad Zaharin Mohd Saad citing the need to provide space for the police to act.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also remarked today that the police are to act if Selangor’s Islamic enforcers enlist their aid to enforce the religious laws within the state.