MalaysiaUpdate - Fearing an election ploy, Christians leaders in Malaysia said the community must remain on guard until Prime Minister Najib Razak's government agrees to drop a court appeal against a ruling that the word Allah could be used by non-Muslims to describe God.
"We don't want to be election bait. The timing of the latest concession is suspicious and events can be overturned at any time until the Allah issue is resolved. If the federal government is sincere and wants inter-religious harmony to be lasting, they must do the right thing," Christian Federation of Malaysia member Rev Thomas Philips, who is also the president of religious organisation MCCBCHST, told reporters.
Drop the Allah court appeal if sincere
In a late statement issued on Saturday, Minister in the PM's Department Idris Jala reversed the conditions placed on the release of some 35,100 copies of the Alkitab detained at the ports.
The Home Ministry had previously agreed to release the books on the condition that a serial number and the words "For Christians Only" were stamped on the face of the Bible. Amid Christian outrage, the serial number was dropped and the words changed to "For Christianity".
In Idris' latest 10-point plan to resolve the matter, the minister said only a 'cross' and the words "Christian Publication" would need to be stamped on the Alkitab circulated in West Malaysia, while no conditions would be placed on the books in East Malaysia.
"This is alright with us. In the spirit of give and take, if this helps to make Muslims in the country feel better, we are okay with it. It is a Christian publication and the cross is our sign. But it all goes back to the word Allah which is what the Alkitab uses to describe God," said Rev Thomas.
"But until the government drops the court appeal against the word Allah, we cannot rest assured that the dispute is over. We do not want a situation that when it is no longer to the benefit of the government, the Alkitab is again detained at the ports."
Christians told to unite and to remain vigilant
Various reasons have been given by Home Ministry officials including the concern that Muslims would be swayed and opt for conversion to Christianity if the Bible was available in the Malay language.
In fact, that was the basis for Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to appeal against a December 2009 High Court ruling that threw out his ministry's ban on non-Muslims using the word Allah.
The appeal has yet to be heard and if the Appeals Court decides in favour the government, the Alkitab will once again be 'illegal' material and its issuance subject to conditions.
Meanwhile, other Christian leaders called on the community to unite.
"We urge the Christians in Sabah and Sarawak to take heed of the court appeal over the word Allah," Ramon Navaratnam, past president of Transparency International, told reporters.
"It will also affect them. Christians throughout Malaysia must be in solidarity with each other and together urge the federal government to respect not just the spirit but also the latter of law as wriiten in the Federal Constitution, the Sabah 20-point and the Sarawak 18-point agreements."
A man-made problem caused by selfish politicians
Christians form 10 per cent of the Malaysian population of 28 million. In Sarawak, where the 10th state election is due to be balloted on April 16, Christians form 43 per cent of the 2.5 million population.
The 18-point agreement refers to the treaty signed when Sarawak joined the Federation of Malaysian in 1963. There are specific clauses in the agreement guaranteeing freedom of religion.
The Federal Consitution adopted by Malaysia when it gained independence from British colonial rule in 1957 also contains the same freedom of religion.
But of late, Muslim officials have complained of conflicts of interest because certain state constitutions expressly forbade Muslims to use the word Allah.
However, experts have said the Federal Consitution was drafted earlier than any state consitution in the country and is the overruling law in the event of any differences.
"The current religious tensions in our country are man-made and politically inspired. The best way forward is that if any Muslim is caught reading the Bible, then he or she should be turned over to the Syariah courts for punishment based on Islamic law. That should be the way rather make the Christian Bible carry the brunt for any human misbehavior," said Ramon. malaysia-update.blogspot.com
