Persatuan Hindraf Malaysian (PHM) has echoed urgings by DAP to amend the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation among Muslims) Enactment 1988 that bans non-Muslims from using the word 'Allah'.

"The Pakatan Rakyat Selangor government has it within its power to amend the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation among Muslims) Enactment 1988 to resolve the conflict that the statute has given rise to.

"The courts for their part do not seem to have an appetite or will, to apply the rule of harmonious construction of the statutes in these situations. The legislators have to act to clarify.

"The Pakatan government in Selangor certainly has the numbers to do it if they really want to," said PHM national adviser N Ganesan in a statement today.

In a joint statement yesterday, three Selangor DAP assemblypersons Damansara Utama's Yeo Bee Yin, Bukit Gasing's R Rajiv and Bukit Tunku's Lau Weng San said they will propose for the amendment in the coming state assembly sitting.

They did not state the specifics of the amendment but have indicated that they would like to see Jais prevented from overstepping their powers to meddle in the affairs of other religions.

Pakatan controls 44 of 56 seats in the state assembly and has the power to amend the enactment, but other members of the coalition have yet to state their stand.

S'gor MB giving 'silly reasons'

The suggestion came after the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) this week raided the Bible Society Malaysia's premises without warning and confiscated over 300 copies of the Malay and Iban Bible, detaining its two staff for over an hour.

Following public indignation over the raid, Selangor Umno urged rallies to protest churches, in particular in Klang, with Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin giving the move his thumbs up.

Attempts to solicit the comment of PHM's chairperson and deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department P Waythamoorthy (right in photo) on the issue were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile Ganesan also urged Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to instruct Jais to withdraw its order for the Bible Society of Malaysia to appear before the Islamic authority on Jan 10.

"The Selangor menteri besar should stop giving silly reasons for why he cannot have Jais on a leash.

"He should act now on the officials concerned, to clarify who is the boss and set the rule for all such potential acts in the future," he said.

The Selangor government has said that Jais acted without its knowledge but former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan has described the state's reaction as "pathetic".

Ganesan also urged Umno to rein in itself and not demonstrate against Christians over the use of the word 'Allah'.

He described theBbible raid as similar to the demolition of Hindu temples, where the rights of other religions are being eroded in the name of the "law".

"These are all short-sighted actions which do no more than deepen the social divide within Malaysian society," he said.