KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 — The MCA must stop Umno from its planned road-shows in Selangor on the “Allah” issue, a DAP lawmaker said when accusing the Malay nationalist party of inciting Muslims against Christians over the Arabic word.

Claiming that Selangor Umno’s intent in organising the 30 road-shows across the state was apparent, Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua pointed to the party’s conduct during a rally in Hulu Selangor on January 5 as evidence.

“At the end of the march, they had burnt an effigy of Rev Father Lawrence Andrew, who is the editor of the Catholic weekly, Herald,” Pua said in a statement today.

“The objective of these ‘road-shows’ are clearly to incite Muslims against Christians, the latter who are defending their rights to practise their religion in their mother tongue.”

Repeating his criticism against the MCA over its complicity in passing the 1988 Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment at the centre of the current row, Pua urged the party to work towards a non-partisan solution over the issue.

The law, which was then passed by the Barisan Nasional (BN) state government, places a blanket ban on non-Muslims in Selangor from using 35 Arabic words and phrases in their faith, including “Allah”, “Nabi” (prophet), “Injil” (gospel) and “Insya’Allah” (God willing).

The Selangor DAP chairman said the antagonist in the issue was clear, and that the MCA’s continued silence over Umno’s provocation was not in line with its professed support for non-Muslims’ right to use “Allah”.

“Noh and Umno are campaigning relentlessly to ensure that the Al-Kitabs seized by JAIS based on the laws which they passed are not returned to the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM), while at the same time demanding that all Al-Kitabs or any other non-Muslim holy books banned from using the above words in the state.

“MCA must recognise the fact that no Pakatan party, PAS, PKR or DAP are going to the streets to inflame religious tension – only Umno and its ilk are doing so,” Pua said.

Yesterday, Selangor Umno chief Datuk Noh Omar announced announced a state-wide tour to purportedly explain the law at the centre of the brewing religious crisis to Muslims, together with Malay rights group Perkasa deputy president Datuk Zulkifli Noordin and syariah lawyers.

On January 1, Selangor Umno had threatened to stage protests outside churches in the state unless Andrew apologised for insisting Christians have a right to also call their God by the Arabic word, which many Malaysian Muslims have been taught to be exclusive to their religion.

It later called off the planned protests after the threat was met by widespread public condemnation.

But it later took part in the rally in Hulu Selangor where an effigy said to be of the Catholic priest was set ablaze.

Temperatures have risen of late over the so-called “Allah” row that remains unresolved four years after it shocked the nation and led to the worst religious strife in the country’s history.

The on-going legal dispute between the government and the Catholic Church over its right to print the word “Allah” in the Herald’s Bahasa Malaysia section is still pending.

The Federal Court is set to hear arguments from both sides on March 5 before deciding on whether it will hear an appeal by the Catholic Church.