1. Bible Society, Newswatch (http://biblesociety.org.uk)
Malaysia seizes imported Bibles, 30 October 2009
Malaysian authorities have confiscated over 15,000 Bibles because they referred to God as Allah, church officials say. The Bibles, imported from Indonesia, use a translation that has been banned in non-Islamic texts in Malaysia because it could upset Muslims. Associated Press reports that the seizures have strengthened the sense of discrimination felt by the minority Christian community.
Source: The Times (30/10)
2. Seventh Rangers (http://7rangers.blogspot.com)
Bullshit and 1Malaysia , 26 October 2009
This 1Malaysia is mere sloganeering. People wake up and smell the shit. Apparently the Christian faith threatens the 1Malaysia concept, I wonder whose 1Malaysia it is. You will not find this report in the mainstream media, the whores that call themselves newspapers, which dominate, diseminate propaganda and lies about the 1Malaysia bullshit. Here is one of the many other reasons why it is bullshit:
Fifteen thousand Bibles detained
Kuala Lumpur: More than 15,000 Bibles in Bahasa Indonesia have been detained by the government this past year.
On Sept 11, Gideons International consignment of 5,000 Indonesia Testaments (Vest) and 5,000 Indonesia/English Bilingual Testaments that Alpha Publisher sent from Jakarta to Kuching were detained by the Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry (Publication).
While in March this year, 5,100 Bibles in Bahasa Indonesia ordered by the Bible Society of Malaysia were also detained by the same ministry. The reason given for the detention of the Scriptures was because they contain the banned words of Allah, Kaabah, Baitumal and Solat.
“The Borneo Evangelical Church (S.I.B) had written an appeal letter dated Sept 17 to the Home Affairs Ministry in Putrajaya for the release of this consignment. We are now waiting for the answer of the appeal,” said Low Boon Leong, National Field Officer of The Gideons International.
“Even now as the books are detained, we have to pay for the warehouse charges which cost a fair sum of money,” he added. “In the event that we are unsuccessful in this appeal, we will have to send this consignment back to Alpha Publisher in Jakarta,” Low explained.
Rev Wong from the Bible Society of Malaysia said that besides asking the people to pray, the society has written an appeal letter which will be hand delivered to the Prime Minister by representatives of the Christian Council of Malaysia (CCM) and the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM).
He added that there was a high demand for Bibles in Bahasa Indonesia and appealed to the ministry to release the Bibles as soon as possible.
The Christian Council of Malaysia is following up on their appeal to the Malaysian Government to release these Scriptures. (Herald Malaysia )
3. Daily Express (http://dailyexpress.com.my)
Council regrets the seizure of Bibles, 30 October 2009
Kuala Lumpur: Authorities have seized some 15,000 bibles imported from Indonesia because they use the word "Allah" as a translation for God which is banned here, a church leader said Thursday.
"The church uses the bible and it is part of the worshipper's life. There is no reason why it should be confiscated," said Rev. Hermen Shastri, General Secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia.
"The bibles are used in the church," he said, dismissing suggestions by Islamic officials that they could be used to help convert Muslims who make up some 60 per cent of the 27 million population.
Shastri said the latest confiscation happened in September when airport authorities in Sarawak seized 10,000 copies of the Indonesian-language bibles which feature the disputed word "Allah".
Another 5,000 copies were confiscated in March, he said.
"The reason given for the detention of the Scriptures was because they contain banned words," he said.
The Catholic Church has waged a two-year legal battle with Malaysian authorities over the use of the word "Allah" as a translation for "God" in its newspaper published here.
The Herald newspaper, circulated among the country's 850,000 Catholics, nearly lost its publishing licence last year for using the disputed word in its Malay-language edition.
The government has argued that the word "Allah" should be used only by Muslims, who dominate the population of multicultural Malaysia.
The row is one of a string of religious disputes that have erupted in recent years, straining relations between Muslim Malays and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians who fear the country is being "Islamised".
Shastri said there was no reason to seize the bibles because the use of the word "Allah" predates Islam.
"The word is not sensitive in Indonesia and the Christians use it in the Middle East. It is mainly driven by other motives ... (to project) the dominance of Islam in Malaysia," he said.
Officials at the Home Ministry were not immediately available for comment.- AFP
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