KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 — Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim must take some responsibility for the safe return of Malay and Iban language bibles seized in January by the state’s Islamic authorities from the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) , DAP’s Dr Ong Kian Ming has said.
Yesterday, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim told a press conference that the state government has decided not to interfere with the ongoing controversy, and that BSM would have to officially write to Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail if it wants the holy books returned.
In a statement, Ong said he was “surprised” by Khalid’s remarks, adding that the MB’s previous remarks had suggested that the matter was almost resolved.
“The MB’s request is an abdication of the responsibility of the state government to find a fair and just resolution to this matter that pertains to the constitutionally protected right to freedom of religion including the right to manage one’s own religious affairs as enshrined in Article 11(3) of the Federal Constitution,” Ong, the MP for Serdang MP said.
Khalid told reporters that the state executive council decided that the onus falls entirely on BSM to “show their determination and desire” to recover the bibles confiscated by the Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) over the use of the word “Allah” in the translations.
A 1988 state enactment prohibits non-Muslims from using 35 Arabic words and phrases in their faiths, including “Allah” as part of measures to control the propagation of other religions to Muslims.
Using that state law, Jais seized 300 Malay and Iban language bibles at the start of the year. No charges have been made.
Ong, who is Selangor DAP state committee member reminded Khalid that his remarks contravened Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) 2013 election promise to govern “inclusively, fairly and justly.”
He said the Malay and Iban language bibles were consistent with the 10-point agreement outlined by the federal government in 2011, and that the bibles can be printed locally in either Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
“We also want to remind the MB that we still have not heard the outcome of the Jais investigation into the BM and Iban bibles which the MB said, on the 25th of January, needed to be completed before the Selangor state government decided on the next course of action,” Ong said.
He adding that Khalid must request Jais for an update on the investigations and whether it was really necessary to withhold all 300 bibles seized.
Previously, The Malay Mail Online reported that Jais was expected to return “most” of the bibles seized in the January 2 raid, save for a few for further investigations.
Besides Selangor, nine other states have similar enactments banning non-Muslim usage of “Allah” and other Arabic words, except Sabah, Sarawak, Penang and the Federal Territories.
BSM had said that they distribute most of their Malay-language bibles to churches in Sabah and Sarawak, but also cater to Malay-speaking Christians in the peninsula, including the Orang Asli and those who come from East Malaysia.
