COMMENT In my last article, I talked about the first three waves that I believe have hit this nation up to the 2013 general election.

A fourth wave, and a more powerful one, too, has yet to hit this part of the world, and when it happens, it will be so powerful that it may bring about a political earthquake in both peninsular and East Malaysia.

No one would expect it, but both Sabah and Sarawak may for once fall into the hands of Pakatan Rakyat. This will mean the fall of the BN regime, and the rise of a new government in Putrajaya and a new era in Malaysian politics.

Should that happen, BN has itself to blame for the constant demonisation of the country’s Christian community. Although the community comprises only 10 percent of the country’s population, the majority of them are in East Malaysia.

In the past, the church has always preferred to stay within its comfort zone and not discuss politics. After all, this world is a passing-through. This has often been the position of the church here or elsewhere.

When certain parties were accusing the Christians of trying to collaborate with the DAP in Penang to christianise the country, I could not help but to laugh at such silly allegations.

The doctrine of separation of state and church, first expounded by Martin Luther during the Reformation in Europe, speaks about the church as a standalone institution; therefore, its clergies have no place in the state administration, in the same manner that the Pope had during Medieval Europe. Religion and politics simply do not mix. Therefore, how foolish can anyone be to even allege that the church has an agenda to turn Malaysia into a Christian nation?

Jais raid the turning point

On Jan 2 this year, the Bible Society of Malaysia was raided by the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department  (Jais), an agency set up under the Selangor state government, but reports directly to the Selangor Islamic Affairs Council or Mais, whose chief is none other than an Umno lawyer and supporter.

There was initially a lot of confusion as to who oversees Jais. Both the former Selangor menteri besar, Khalid Ibrahim and Mais chief Mohd Adzib Mohd Isa were in a tussle as to who Jais should report to. Finally, it was obvious that Jais might have a dotted line to the Selangor state exco, but ultimately its reporting line was to Mais.

Adzib, in a number of articles subsequently, defended Jais’ action, and despite a decision by the Attorney-General’s Chamber that there was no case against the Bible Society, no follow-up action has been taken up by either the AG, the embattled MB of Selangor nor Mais to return the Bibles.

In just two months’ time, it will be a full one-year anniversary, yet the fate of the Bibles is still largely unknown, although secretly the Christian community wishes that the Bibles would be returned as a Christmas gift come Dec 25.

The impact

The seizure of 320 copies of the Malay Alkitab and Iban Bibles which contained the word ‘Allah’ has awakened the churches in peninsular Malaysia, and especially also in East Malaysia.

Although another raid had occurred in 2011, it involved merely a non-governmental organisation which was using the premises of the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) premises in Petaling Jaya; this time, the raid on the Bible Society hit a wrong chord. The Bible Society was the very heart of Christianity.

One can understand the rationale used by Jais that the Malay Alkitab could perhaps, although remotely, weaken the aqidah of the Muslims, but what about the Iban Bibles which use the Iban native language? How many Muslims in this country can read the Iban language, therefore, why the seizure? It was the biggest mistake by Jais.

Ibans in Sarawak are mainly Christians. Seizure of their Bibles will not go down well with the Christian community in East Malaysia. In fact, the use of the name ‘Allah’ for East Malaysia (as well as Indonesia) in their literature dates back to a few hundred years, and peninsular Christians are merely keeping up with the wide usage of the same terminology when translating the literature into Bahasa Malaysia.

Maybe it has happened but in only isolated cases, but proselytising to the Muslims in this country was never even on the church agenda. Most churches that I know of are using the Alkitab within the younger generation of Christians who are now proficient only in the national language.  

The Iban Bibles are only used by the Ibans in Sarawak. The federal constitution guarantees the freedom of religion in the way that the followers deem fit, so long as there is no propagation of the faith to the Muslims.

The use of the name ‘Allah’ in the Alkitab has never been prohibited by the Quran or the Hadith, and international Islamic scholars are just as curious about how Malaysian Muslim authorities have arrived at such a conclusion that Arabic words are banned from being used by non-Muslim groups.

Even opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and PAS spiritual leader Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat have stated their stand clearly that the name ‘Allah’ can be used, provided the sanctity of the name is always upheld. Umno is clearly in the forefront, demonising the Christian community over a score of Arabic words.

All along, the church has lived peacefully with the community. Therefore, to be accused of proselytising to the Muslims every now and then, and to be told that their Bibles with the word ‘Allah’ in it would be burnt by one court jester has not gone down well with its leaders.

What is worse is that in the answer that was given by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s department Nancy Shukri, she said that Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali’s urging to burn the Alkitab was in line with the federal constitution.

Prayer focus

The raid on the Bible Society, coupled with a number of court cases involving the rights of the Christian community, have become the prayer focus of the churches at large. In East as well as in the West, Christians are talking about the current political development affecting them with a tinge of sadness.

For example, in the case of Jill Ireland vs Home Ministry, the Customs had confiscated a few CDs which were hand carried by one Sarawakian Christian when she landed at the KLIA. These CDs were meant for her personal use, yet the home minister maintains that the materials would not be returned. Now it is up to the courts to carry out the procedural review of the Home Ministry’s actions.

In my opinion, something as simple as the Jill Ireland case should not even go to court if only the minister or his officers had used some common sense.

Nonetheless, what we are seeing now is the tussle between government officials and the ordinary citizens, who feel that their rights to freedom of religion have been suppressed.

Following the Federal Court’s ruling against the use of the word ‘Allah’ for God, the Sarawak Ministers’ Fellowship (SMF) have said that bumiputera Christians have become “instant criminals”. Realising that they are no longer living in isolation, Sarawakian and Sabahan clergymen have been expressing concerns to their congregations about the political development in the country that will affect them.

It appears that Jais was not only targeting the Christians but both the Muslims and other non-Muslim groups, and their high-handedness has also attracted brickbats from the Muslim community as well.

Recently, a 49-year-old real estate agent, Hashim Said, had alleged that Jais and the police used violent force against him during a raid at his home in 2008. For this, Hashim is suing Jais for RM1 million.
Journalists like Zakiah Koya and Mariam Mokhtar (both with Malaysiakini) have also voiced out their dissatisfaction with the use of Islam by politicians for their selfish gains.

When the church was threatened by a group of Muslim extremists, it was Marina Mahathir (right in photo) and the Muslim moderates who stood in solidarity with the churchgoers. Muslims, too, are fed up with the exploit of religious issues towards Umno’s political expediency.

Without doing the right things to mend the old ways, there is no way Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak or his successors will be able to convince the Christian community to vote for Umno or the BN.

This could prove costly since Sabah and Sarawak are traditionally BN’s vote bank.

Find out in the next article the third reason why I believe Umno will collapse, if it continues to resist change.


STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.