Published by various online media on 17 March 2011.
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Press statement by Christian Federation of Malaysia: Holy Scriptures Desecrated
We call on all Malaysians, from Semenanjung and in Sabah and Sarawak, and from all walks of life, to come together in unity to reject any attempt to restrict the freedom of religion in our beloved country.
We invite all Christians in Malaysia to remain calm and to continue to pray for a dignified and respectful resolution of this issue. As Sunday 20 March 2011 marks the 2nd anniversary of the impounding of the Bibles at Port Klang, we call on all those in Malaysia and elsewhere to dedicate themselves to a day of prayer and quiet reflection.
Hisham: Stamps on bible standard practice
“Even during Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s time, these bibles were released with a chop on them.”
Asked why it was stamped without the importer’s permission, Hishammuddin said that the bibles were stamped as “they (importers) wanted it to be immediately released”.
No intention to deface Bibles: Hishammuddin
The 5,100 Malay-language Bibles in Port Klang were stamped according to the Home Ministry's standard operating procedure and there was no intention to deface them, Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said.
He said the stamping was done as the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) had wanted the Bibles to be released quickly.
"We stamped the Bible based on practices since Tun Dr Mahathir's (Mohamed) time.
Apologise to Christians, MCA tells Home Ministry
The MCA wants the Home Ministry to apologise for setting “degrading” conditions for the release of the Malay-language Bibles, saying that those who imposed them were suffering from the four “diseases” that Datuk Seri Najib Razak had recently warned Barisan Nasional (BN) about.
The prime minister had recently warned BN parties of the diseases of delusion, amnesia, inertia and arrogance, which he said often hit those who stayed too long in power and failed to reflect on their own weaknesses.
Questions over released Bible
The Home Ministry has written to the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) and the Sarawak branch of the global Christian group, The Gideons, to collect the 35,000 impounded copies of the Bible from Port Klang and Kuching port.
The BSM said the ministry had instead stamped the words “AlKitab Berita Baik ini untuk kegunaan penganut agama Kristian sahaja” (The Good News Bible is for the use of Christians only).
It also said the ministry wanted serial numbers printed and an official ministry stamp on the holy books.
No victory in bible release
The release of the 30,000 Malay bibles has come with two attached conditions: that the books bear a stamp demarcating “For Christians Only” and marked with serial numbers.
The chairman of the fellowship, Daron Tan, has called these conditions “insensitive” and a “gross violation of the Christian’s holy book”.
Christian Federation rejects seized bibles
Malaysian Christians today rejected the return of some of the 35,000 bibles seized in a dispute over the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims, saying they had been “desecrated.”
The government had said the using “Allah” as a translation for “God” in the Malay-language Bibles could cause confusion and encourage conversion, which is illegal for the country’s majority Muslim Malays.
The Star reprimanded over BM Bible story
The Home Ministry has issued a letter of reprimand to The Star over an article on the impounding of 5,000 Bahasa Malaysia Bibles.
The government is exceeding its authority in insisting that copies of the Malay bible carry serial numbers, according to constitutional expert Abdul Aziz Bari.
ReplyDeleteHe interpreted the action as meaning that the government was trying to control the number of copies in circulation. This would go against the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom, he said.
Aziz, who teaches law at a local university, noted that the Federal Constitution restricts the government’s authority in matters of religion, including Islam.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/03/18/govt-can%E2%80%99t-restrict-bible-circulation-says-law-don/