KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 ― A senior minister today hit out at the people behind a fake poster linking the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) with an alleged Bible rally, calling it an “irresponsible act” that cannot go unpunished.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup said he knows “for a fact” that BSM would not resort to organising an alleged “Himpunan Bible” rally at Dataran Merdeka this Sunday, and accused religious hardliners of trying to stoke unrest.
“I strongly condemn the ‘Himpunan Bible’ poster hoax and urge BSM to lodge a police report immediately so that the police can initiate an investigation into the motive or agenda behind such an irresponsible act. Swift action should be taken against the perpetrators,” he said in a brief statement.
“We can’t allow a small group of religious hardliners to create animosity and disunity amongst peace loving Malaysians. It perplexes me whether these bigots understand the gravitas of their actions,” he added.
Yesterday, BSM denied any involvement in the rally, allegedly to protest against the Selangor religious authorities’ plan to destroy the over 300 bibles confiscated over six months ago.
Referring to a poster of the event being circulated on social media, BSM’s general secretary Reverend Dr Simon Wong insisted in a statement here that the society has not arranged for any rallies at Dataran Merdeka this weekend.
According to the poster sighted by The Malay Mail Online, participants are expected to march from the Gospel Hall Kuala Lumpur on Jalan Hang Jebat to Dataran Merdeka.
Kurup today urged the public not to join any rally at Dataran Merdeka this weekend, advising them not to be “further hoodwinked” by religious bigots and hardliners bent on dividing the Malaysian society.
The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) had seized 321 bibles Malay and Iban language bibles that contained the word “Allah” during a surprise raid on BSM’s premise in Petaling Jaya on January 2.
The enforcers later refused to abide by the instructions from the Selangor state government ordering the return of the books.
Last week, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said that no charges will be brought against the society, pointing out that the books were not “controlled items” and it was not a national security issue.
However, disagreeing with Abdul Gani, the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais), which controls Jais, insisted that there are grounds to “prosecute” BSM under the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988.
Mais had also said that it will apply to the court to dispose the bibles.
Following the impasse, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah’s private secretary, Mohamad Munir Bani, advised all relevant parties to seek legal recourse for the matter to be resolved amicably and without perception of bias.
