BSM: Putrajaya kept word on 'Allah', Selangor didn't
Ahmad Fadli KCPublished: Jan 10, 2014 7:34 AM | Updated: Jan 10, 2014 9:10 AM
After remianing silent over those responsible for the Jan 2 raid on its premises and confiscating hundreds of copies of the Bible in the Malay language, the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) today singled out the Selangor government for the fiasco.
After remianing silent over those responsible for the Jan 2 raid on its premises and confiscating hundreds of copies of the Bible in the Malay language, the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) today singled out the Selangor government over the fiasco.
BSM chairperson Lee Min Choon (right) said the federal government had in fact upheld the 10-point solution on the use of ‘Allah’ in the Bible but the state government had failed to rein in the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), which conducted the raid.
"The fact that copies of the Bible (using the word ‘Allah’) are here (in Selangor) is because the (Home Ministry) had passed them to us.
"The Bible would not be here without the Home Ministry allowing it," he said.
Lee urged the Selangor government to emulate Putrajaya and uphold the 10-point solution.
“I would like to put on record that the 10-point (Solution) has not been breached by the federal government.
"This problem is the problem of the state and I hope the state will find a solution to this,” he told journalists outside the Jais headquarters this morning.
Lee, together with BSM secretary-general Simon Wong and office manager Sinclair Wong, were earlier questioned by Jais for two hours.
'Selangor should embrace the 10-point solution'
Jais raided BSM's office in Damansara Kim last week and confiscated over 300 copies of the Bible in the Malay and Iban languages, which used the term ‘Allah’.
The Islamic authority claimed it was merely enforcing the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988 which bans the word ‘Allah’ for non-Muslims as well as the Selangor sultan's decree to the same effect.
Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim had said that the state government will abide by the decree.
Lee said when Putrajaya drafted the 10-point solution in 2011, it allowed unrestricted use of the Bible with the word ‘Allah’ in Sabah and Sarawak while those in the peninsula would require a ‘For Christians only’ stamp, even though the state enactment banned the word ‘Allah’ for non-Muslims.
"The identity of the book mentioned in the 10 points is Alkitab (the Malay-language Bible), which contains the word ‘Allah’, so the federal government already knows about it.
"The best solution is if the Selangor administration embraces the 10-point solution," Lee said.
BSM chairperson Lee Min Choon (right) said the federal government had in fact upheld the 10-point solution on the use of ‘Allah’ in the Bible but the state government had failed to rein in the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), which conducted the raid."The fact that copies of the Bible (using the word ‘Allah’) are here (in Selangor) is because the (Home Ministry) had passed them to us.
"The Bible would not be here without the Home Ministry allowing it," he said.
Lee urged the Selangor government to emulate Putrajaya and uphold the 10-point solution.
“I would like to put on record that the 10-point (Solution) has not been breached by the federal government."This problem is the problem of the state and I hope the state will find a solution to this,” he told journalists outside the Jais headquarters this morning.
Lee, together with BSM secretary-general Simon Wong and office manager Sinclair Wong, were earlier questioned by Jais for two hours.
'Selangor should embrace the 10-point solution'
Jais raided BSM's office in Damansara Kim last week and confiscated over 300 copies of the Bible in the Malay and Iban languages, which used the term ‘Allah’.
The Islamic authority claimed it was merely enforcing the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988 which bans the word ‘Allah’ for non-Muslims as well as the Selangor sultan's decree to the same effect.
Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim had said that the state government will abide by the decree.
Lee said when Putrajaya drafted the 10-point solution in 2011, it allowed unrestricted use of the Bible with the word ‘Allah’ in Sabah and Sarawak while those in the peninsula would require a ‘For Christians only’ stamp, even though the state enactment banned the word ‘Allah’ for non-Muslims."The identity of the book mentioned in the 10 points is Alkitab (the Malay-language Bible), which contains the word ‘Allah’, so the federal government already knows about it.
"The best solution is if the Selangor administration embraces the 10-point solution," Lee said.
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