KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 — Ahead of Perkasa’s planned rally on Monday, the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) refuted today claims the state sultan backed the Malay activist group’s rally.
The religious council, which answers to the sultan, also denied the monarch had consented that the group could hold a gathering outside his palace in Shah Alam or at any other location.
“Mais chairman states that there is no consent that was given by His Highness Sultan of Selangor. Therefore, Perkasa’s statement is refuted,” Mais chairman Datuk Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa said in a statement.
“Mais would like to stress that His Highness has never consented to any rally at any place,” he added.
The Mais chief claimed that messages on social networks had implied that Perkasa’s rally was endorsed by the Selangor Ruler.
Mohamad Adzib said he only received a letter from Selangor Perkasa chief Abu Bakar Yahya addressed to the sultan yesterday.
The letter was not presented to the sultan, as the Ruler is abroad, the Mais man said.
He added that it was up to the Malay-Muslim non-governmental organisation’s discretion to hold its rallies.
Selangor Perkasa announced yesterday it planned to rally between 3,000 and 5,000 members outside Istana Kayangan in Shah Alam, in a show of support for the state’s Islamic religious authorities who have been criticised for seizing hundreds of bibles in Malay and Iban containing the Arabic word for God, “Allah”.
The group also said the demonstration was to demand that action be taken against PAS leaders who sought to strip Mais and the Islamic religious agency it controlled of their enforcement powers.
Last January, Selangor Islamic enforcers raided the Bible Society of Malaysia’s office in Petaling Jaya and carted off over 300 bibles, claiming the Christian holy books were being used to proselytise to Muslims, in violation of state law.
Mais and the Selangor Islamic Religious Department want the bible society’s leaders prosecuted, but the Attorney-General has said there is no case.
