No Malaysian massacre despite your provocation, MCA man tells Ibrahim Ali

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 — Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali’s call to burn Malay-language bibles did not result in a massacre here, MCA’s Datuk Ti Lian Ker said today when challenging the Perkasa chief’s assertion that the Charlie Hebdo rampage was the result of religious provocation.

The head of MCA’s Religious Harmony Bureau pointed out that rather than resorting to violence and murder, Malaysians chose only to lodge police reports against the president of the Malay rights group and even appealed for calm despite his incendiary proposal.

“This is the stance which Ibrahim Ali should take, rather than justifying violence and murder and profaning the sacred religion of peace and compassion they ridiculously claim to represent,” Ti said in a statement today.

The MCA central committee member also questioned Ibrahim’s logic in claiming that the killings were retaliation against the French satirical weekly for its provocative depictions of Prophet Muhammad, pointing out that uninvolved bystanders and police officers also fell victim to the attacks.

Ti added that there was no justification in the murder of innocents, particularly not in the case of Charlie Hebdo, which he earlier pointed out had lampooned not just Islam but Christianity and other nations as well.

“The police should haul up Ibrahim Ali for questioning as he seems to be promoting violence and slaughter of innocents,” Ti added.

Ibrahim’s blatant calls to burn Malay-language Bibles ostensibly for containing the word “Allah” last year escaped prosecution after the Attorney-General’s Chambers decided the self-professed Malay rights proponent “had no intention to create religious disharmony”.

Commenting on the Paris incident, Ibrahim yesterday said while what transpired was regrettable, the gunmen were forced to take matters into their own hands as French laws failed to prevent the insults to Muslims.

“This is what happens when you insult the religion of others, when you interfere with other people’s religion,” he said.

Three suspected Islamists descended on the office of satirical French weekly Charlie Hebdo on January 7 and gunned down 12 people including the magazine’s staff and police officers over its cartoons of Prophet Muhammad.

Altogether 17 victims have died along with the three hostage-takers since Wednesday.