Malaysiakini（http://www.malaysiakini.com）
NGO lodges police report on Malay Bible, 14 October 2011
A local NGO in Selangor has lodged a police report on the circulation of copies of the Bible published in the Malay language, expressing fear that this will undermine the Muslim faith, Utusan Malaysia reported today.
The Bible uses the word "Allah" for god, Majlis Gabungan Pertubuhan Sukarela Selangor (Selangor Joint Council of Volunteer Orgnisations) said in the report it made at the Shah Alam district police headquarters yesterday.
"What is even more concerning is that the Bible we obtained was from a Muslim Malay youth, who is a student at a school in Klang, where it was distributed free of charge," Utusan quoted the NGO's deputy chairperson Ibrahim Ghaffar as saying.
The group in its police report urged the authorities to take stern action against anyone who tried to proselytise to Muslims, in line with a decree issued recently by the Selangor sultan.
The Bible in the Malay language, and in particular the use of the word "Allah" for god by non-Muslims, has been a contentious issue in the country, with right-wing Muslim groups vehemently opposing this for fear that Muslims would be "confused".
Police reports on Aziz Bari, Malaysiakini as well
A landmark High Court judgment declaring the Home Ministry's ban on the use of the word "Allah" in Malay language copies of the Bible as illegal led to heated debates that culminated with a series of fire bombings on a number of churches.
Utusan in the same report also quoted the NGO's secretary, Mohd Johari Zaini, as saying that another police report had been lodged against constitutional law expert Abdul Aziz Abdul Bari and news portal Malaysiakini for disputing the Selangor sultan's decree.
The group is upset with the comment made by Abdul Aziz in Malaysiakini that the sultan's intervention in the Selangor Islamic Religious Department's (Jais) anti-apostasy raid at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church hall on Aug 3 was "unconventional".
Aziz has stood by his statement, reiterating that the monarchy is not immune to criticism, so long as such criticism does not advocate the abolition of the royal institution.
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