The Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) can seek recourses by suing the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) if it refuses to return the 321 copies of Malay and Iban language bibles that the religious authority had seized from BSM back in January, a constitutional expert said today.
 
Abdul Aziz Bari said that BSM can sue Jais under the freedom of religion provision in the federal constitution.
 
Jais has so far refused to return the seized Bibles even though Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail has stated the case has been closed and no charges will be pressed.
 
"Jais, or the sultan for that matter, has no power to regulate the way non-Muslims practise their religion," Abdul Aziz (right) told Malaysiakini.
 
"What I am trying to say here is that the society is not entirely left without recourse," he added.
 
Despite saying that there is a "dilemma" when it comes to authorities controlling what Jais and the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) do, Abdul Aziz said that Jais and Mais must be "sensible" about this matter.
 
"Just like the judiciary, the civil service and all those non-elected bodies like the Election Commission and so on, they have to remember that this is a democracy," he said.
 
"They can't go on flouting the principles of common sense and fairness," he added.