1. Malaysian Insider（http://www.themalaysianinsider.com）
Perkasa ready to meet churches over bible-burning threat, 27 January 2013
by Boo Su-Lyn
Last week, Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali called on Muslims to burn Malay-language bibles. — file pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 — Malay rights group Perkasa has suggested a roundtable discussion with local church leaders to explain its president’s recent threat to torch Malay-language Bibles.
The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) had called the threat “vile”, stressing that all religious scriptures are sacred books.
“Perkasa is willing to accept any church’s invitation to get an explanation,” Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali was quoted as saying today by Mingguan Malaysia, the weekend edition of Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia.
“Perkasa is always working on building up the muhibah (goodwill) spirit between races and religions in this country. Perkasa only strongly opposes anyone who tries to challenge the sanctity of Islam and the faith of its followers,” he added.
Last week, Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali called on Muslims to burn Malay-language bibles that contain the word “Allah” and other religious Arabic script.
A priest lodged a police report on Tuesday in Penang over the distribution of anonymous pamphlets advertising a “festival” to burn the Malay language bibles at a field there today.
The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) upset church leaders with its last Friday’s sermon that warned Muslims nationwide of “enemies of Islam” that would try to confuse them into believing that all religions are the same.
Muslim and Christian leaders here have been at loggerheads over use of the Arabic word “Allah”, with the former claiming that it refers exclusively to the Islamic God.
A church was firebombed after the High Court ruled in 2009 that Muslims did not have an exclusive right to the word “Allah”.
Debate resurfaced last month after DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who is also the Penang chief minister, called on Putrajaya to lift a ban on Malay-language Bibles in Borneo Malaysia.
A Sabah church group said last Friday that the religious freedom of Christian Bumiputeras was under attack, pointing out that most adherents of the faith in Malaysia came from East Malaysia and use the Malay language.
A Buddhist group urged today the National Unity and Integration Department, which is under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Department, to resolve the drawn-out dispute over the usage of “Allah”.
2. The Star Online（http://thestar.com.my）
Read books, not burn them, 28 January 2013
by Yuen Meikeng（meikeng@thestar.com.my）
KUALA LUMPUR: A group of people spent their Sunday morning reading books on religion and philosophy to protest against a call to burn Malay-language Bibles.
The group, which gathered at the KLCC park here from 10am to noon, read books which included the Quran and both the English and Malay versions of the Bible.
Social activist Masjaliza Hamzah, who organised the event, described the public reading as “a peaceful way to respond to a violent call”.
“I heard that other groups are also doing the same in Penang and Kota Kinabalu in response to my posting of the event on Facebook,” she said at the park here yesterday.
The event was held in response to alleged calls by Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali to burn Malay Bibles containing the word “Allah” and a proposed event to burn the Christian holy book in Butterworth, Penang, yesterday.
An elegant event: Marina reading a book at the KLCC park, Kuala Lumpur, during a mass book reading held to protest the proposed fair to burn Bibles on Sunday. — AZMAN GHANI / The Star
Social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, who read Karen Armstrong's The Case For God, described the event as “elegant” and a way of taking the moral high ground instead of reacting violently.
Freelance translator Seah Li Ling, 39, said such gatherings should be held regularly to promote the understanding of different religions.
Suri Kempe said it was embarrassing that Ibrahim was a public figure.
It was reported that nobody turned up for the alleged “Bahasa Melayu Bible-burning fair” that was to be held in front of the Dewan Ahmad Badawi municipality field in Jalan Bagan Luar in Butterworth yesterday.
3. Jakarta Globe（http://www.thejakartaglobe.com）
No-Show for 'Bible Burning Fest' in Malaysia, 29 January 2013
by Teo Cheng Wee - Straits Times
Kuala Lumpur. A "Bible-burning festival" organized through anonymous fliers fizzled out last Sunday when nobody turned up for the event at the proposed location in Penang.
Fifty police and local council enforcement officers were stationed from early morning at a field in Butterworth where the 10 a.m. "festival" was supposed to be taking place.
Penang police had warned the public a few days earlier not to take part in the activity.
"Nothing happened, thank God," said Seberang Perai municipal councillor Francis Ong, who is in charge of the area and was at the scene. About a dozen journalists were there as well.
Everyone dispersed by noon, Ong told The Straits Times.
But a dispute over the use of the word "Allah" in Malay-language Christian publications is unlikely to be resolved soon.
The government has appealed a High Court ruling that first sparked the controversy by allowing a Catholic publication to use the word in 2009.
A local Muslim leader has also defended a sermon last Friday by the federal Islamic authority on this topic, which had warned against Muslims selling out to others.
Malay-language newspaper Berita Harian on Sunday quoted Islamic Dakwah Foundation Malaysia founder Dusuki Ahmad as saying the sermon was not meant to incite hatred against Christians, but to remind Muslims of the sanctity of Islam.
The threat to burn Bibles stoked religious tensions in Malaysia over the past week, coming as it did amid the protracted dispute between Christians and Muslims over the use of the word "Allah".
On Jan. 19, the hardline Malay rights group Perkasa had called on Muslims to burn Malay-language Bibles containing the word "Allah".
A flier talking about a "Bible- burning festival" started circulating soon afterwards, supposedly organized by the little-known Anti-Malay Language Bible Action Group.
"Burn, burn… Let's teach them a lesson!" it said. No names were attached to the flier.
The tussle over the word "Allah" in Malaysia has become increasingly heated in recent years, with many Muslims adamant that it is exclusive to Islam. But some Christians argue that they have been using "Allah" in their worship for years and that the word predates Islam.
At a press conference on Sunday, Penang police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi thanked the public for not participating in any Bible burning, and urged everyone not to bring up issues that will hurt Malaysia's harmony.
He also noted that seven police reports had been lodged against Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali, who was the first to raise the idea of burning Bibles.
"We will be calling him soon to take his statement over the reports," he said.
Following a backlash, Perkasa has begun distancing itself from the Bible-burning festival and has denied organising it. It said it was willing to meet Christian groups for discussions.
・Reprinted courtesy of The Straits Times.
4. Union of Catholic Asian News（http://www.asianews.it）
As Bible-burning threat ebbs, Penang bishop meets Muslim spiritual leader, 28 January 2013
Ibrahim Ali, head of a Malay Muslim supremacist group, wanted to burn the Christian holy text because it contained the word Allah in its Malay edition. Various Muslim leaders denounce him for "sowing hatred against Christians".
Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) - Members of an Islamic group that had announced that it would burn Bibles did not show up for the event. Recently, anonymous flyers had begun circulating, in which Muslims were urged to participate in a festival where copies of a Malay edition of the Bible would be burnt because they contained the word 'Allah', which in their view was a strictly Islamic term.
The flyers began appearing after Ibrahim Ali, head of Perkasa, a Muslim Malay supremacist group, urged its members to burn copies of a Malay-language edition of the Bible. Ali made the explosive statement after he heard that Christians were handing out Malay Bibles to young Muslim students in Jelutong.
Tensions rose further when the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) was quoted as saying during Friday sermons that the "enemies of Islam" were trying to confuse Muslims by making them believe that all religions were equal.
The controversy concerns the word Allah or God, which both Muslims and Christians use. For Muslim extremists, Christians are not entitled to use the name because it is exclusive to Islam. In reality, the word is Arabic for God and Christians have used long before Islam was founded.
In Malaysia, the matter sparked an intense debate that ended in 2009 when the High Court ruled that Muslims did not have the exclusive use of the word. Yet, it regularly resurfaces, especially before elections, which is now the case since Malaysia is set to go to the polls next June.
However, various leaders of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) have come out against Ibrahim Ali and JAKIM, accusing them of sowing hatred between Muslims and Christians.
Mgr Sebastian Francis, Catholic bishop of Penang, met Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, PAS's spiritual leader, bringing a cake for his 82nd birthday.
Quoted on the PAS website, Mgr Francis said that Malaysia needed people to follow Nik Abdul Aziz's example, not Ibrahim Ali's and his provocative views.
5. Free Malaysia Today（http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com）
My Bible, My faith, My church, 29 January 2013
Perkasa has lighted a fire of religious intolerance which is burning slowly but will grow bigger if not doused.
Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali wants to make a bonfire of the Malay version of the Bible that uses the word “Allah” and is written in Jawi. But a Bible is a Bible, whether it is in English or Malay or Jawi. It is still a sacred book and to throw it into the fire is an act of sacrilege. He is encouraging a course of action which is likely to lead to dire consequences. He has forgotten that Malaysia is a land shared by many races and faiths.
Ibrahim has triggered widespread resentment in the Christian community for making such a provocative statement. Most of the worshippers using the Malay-language Bible are native Christians in Sarawak and Sabah. They also work and live in the Peninsula and continue to practise their faith. They have been using this Bible for ages without anyone trampling on their rights to religious freedom. The Bible is their faith and their church. But now come Ibrahim and his Bible-burning threat.
Ibrahim’s burning anger flows from two causes: he cited a report lodged by Persatuan Mukabuku Pulau Pinang alleging that two individuals had been giving away the Malay version of the Bible to Muslim pupils at the gate of a secondary school in Penang; and the Bible carried the word “Allah”.
These are two “sins” that Perkasa feels must be purged in the interest of the Muslim faithful.
The Malay rights NGO has a point when it advances the argument that it is wrong to distribute Bibles to Muslims. Its secretary-general Syed Hasan Syed Ali points out that such attempts will only “confuse the Muslims into leaving Islam and converting to Christianity”. The Federal Constitution expressly prohibits the “propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among Muslims”. Based on the country’s sacrosanct laws, the two individuals who distributed the Bibles should be charged and that would have ended the controversy.
But the flame lighted by Ibrahim grew bigger when he urged Muslims to burn the Malay version of the Bible that contains the word “Allah”. Granted that he told Muslims to burn these Bibles upon receiving them. He did not goad them to seize the holy book and torch it openly. But the firebrand had unleashed a reaction that threatens to destroy the delicate balance of religious tolerance and racial harmony.
Extremely dangerous
Ibrahim started the fireball rolling and now it has gone out of control. His “jihad” will be taken up by other rabid groups bent on “teaching” Christians a lesson. One group, the Pasukan Bertindak Anti Bible Bahasa Melayu (Anti-Malay-Bible Action Force), even wanted to throw the Bibles into the fire on a Sunday when Christians go to church. It is an extreme form of provocation which carries the seeds of a wider conflict. This group thinks Christians pray to many gods and not the one and true Allah. Therefore Christians are infidels. Such ignorance can lead to disaster.
In this highly-charged atmosphere, it is extremely dangerous to advance the argument that Christians want to subtly convert Muslims by using Allah in the Bible. When Christians call out to “Allah” in their prayers, they seek help, blessing, guidance. Seeking to convert their Muslim brothers and sisters is furthest from their minds. Christians, like Muslims, pray to only one God who rules supreme below and above.
Ever since Ibrahim unleashed his burn-Bible tantrum, other religious experts rose to defend him and put a strange spin on the term Allah to give it an air of exclusivity and mystery. According to their interpretation, Allah is a holy word and is the “personal” property of Muslims and Islam. But “Allah” is also mentioned in other religions. Ibrahim and all those army of zealots cannot push all the people of God into the flame because all of us He created.
Perkasa has rekindled the debate over the use of the word Allah, and it has become hotter when Ibrahim raised the temperature. The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has also exacerbated the situation when it warned non-Muslims not to use the word “Allah” in their holy book. The non-Muslims or Christians have been branded the enemies of Islam, which means Muslims are put on a “war” footing to defend their faith. Indeed, no one now can stop anti-Bible fanatical groups from wreaking havoc on the lives of Christians. One day they will openly burn the Bibles and probably torch the churches.
But the churches in Malaysia are unlikely to back down in the face of this grave threat. They are united in their stand to exercise their “constitutional right” as enshrined in the Federal Constitution to use the term “Allah” for God. They will “use the holy Bible in Bahasa Malaysia… in all their liturgical services and in meetings of worship”. Will Ibrahim and his ilk raise hell when they hear “Allah” recited in the churches? Religious conflict is too steep a price to pay. Burn the Bible, you burn the church; burn the church, you burn the country.
6. Malaysiakini（http://www.malaysiakini.com）
(1) Ban use of 'Islam' by political parties, says ex-CM, 21 January 2013
by Bernama
A regulation or law to prohibit the use of the word "Islam" by political parties should be formulated to avoid manipulation and abuse by certain quarters for political interests, former Malacca chief minister Rahim Tamby Chik said today.
Rahim said the use of the word by political parties could be damaging to Islam as well as tarnish its image and reputation.
Referring to the use of the word by Parti Islam Semalaysia (PAS), he said it had led some members of the society to accept the word used by the party as similar to the "Islam" brought by Prophet Muhammad.
"The use of the word by the party is merely for political interest," Rahim told reporters after presenting school aid at SMK Sungai Udang in Malacca today.
He said the actions of the PAS leaders, such as calling Umno members infidels and apostates, did not reflect the true teachings of Islam.
- Bernama
(2) Islamic authorities insist 'Allah' only for Muslims, 25 January 2013
by John Grafilo, dpa
Federal religious authorities in Malaysia on Friday urged Muslims to preserve the sanctity of their faith by not allowing non-Muslims to use the word "Allah" in their scriptures.
The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) warned that non-Muslims who do so are out to confuse Muslims.
"It is very clear that today enemies of Islam are seeking to divert and undermine the Muslim community's faith," the department said in Friday's sermon read throughout the Federal Territories.
"Muslims must be firm in protecting the sanctity and the identity of their religion."
But Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein urged calm after a call by a group in Penang to burn Bibles at the weekend to protest an appeal by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to allow non-Muslims to use "Allah" in their scriptures.
The group, calling itself the Anti-Bible Bahasa Melayu (Anti-Malay Bible Action Force), has distributed pamphlets calling on Muslims to join the mass Bible burning Sunday in Butterworth, 290 kilometres north-west of Kuala Lumpur.
"I urge all of us to be rational and to remain cool so to not ruin the harmony in our society," Hishammuddin said.
The controversy over the use of the word "Allah" first erupted in 2007 when the Home Ministry stopped a Catholic publication from using the word in its magazine.
The church sued the government, and a court ruled in December 2009 that the use of the word "Allah" is not exclusive to Muslims in Malaysia, where 60 per cent of the more than 29 million people profess the Islamic faith.
The decision triggered attacks on some Christian churches and protests by Muslims throughout Malaysia.
The Home Ministry appealed the decision and is awaiting a ruling. In the meantime, state leaders have issued edicts that prohibit non-Muslims from using the world "Allah."
(3) You give an inch, they'll take a mile, 27 January 2013
'In 1986, four words were banned by the Home Ministry, in 1988, Selangor increased it to 25 words, and in 1992, Sabah increased to 32.'
An appeal to the Christian community, drop 'Allah'
Kelate: Former ISA detainee and religious teacher BS Poh, although I respect your view as rational from "the biblical-theological-linguistic reasons" as expounded in your article, I cannot agree with you as the historical reasons are not considered.
For the Christians in Sabah and Sarawak, it means their right of a few generations are taken away. Your linguistic argument is valid for the Peninsular but not for Sabah and Sarawak because of their long history in the usage of the word.
Not using the word ‘Allah' also render inconsistence with the usage in other countries in the translation of the Bible.
And there are more inconsistencies beside just ‘Allah' in the Bible, how about ‘Tuhan Yesus Kristus' in 1Cor 1:3? Should that be change too as Islam call him Nabi Isa?
There will be no end once it starts. In 1986, four words were banned by the Home Ministry, in 1988, Selangor increase it to 25 words, and in 1992, Sabah increased to 32.
Once you give in, there will come a time that the entire Bahasa Malaysia Bible will be banned.
FellowMalaysian: I appreciate BS Poh's courage, selflessness and magnanimity in expressing his deep thoughts and feelings on the right to use the word 'Allah'.
Many Christians will probably disagree and denounce Poh's assertion; the many 'nay' feedbacks received in this Malaysiakini forum indicated that it is so.
I have only two questions to ask everyone here. First, would you say that the issue was hyped up by the politicians and especially only recently with GE13 around the corner?
The Alkitab is not a recent phenomenon and has been used in East Malaysia all this while without any ill-feelings. Why not let status quo be rather than create a ruse?
Gerard Lourdesamy: Let the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court decide if under Article 11 (4) of the federal constitution, state laws can prohibit the use of the word ‘Allah' by non-Muslims within their own religious scriptures, worship and practices.
Today it is ‘Allah', tomorrow it will be ‘Isa' and after that a ban on Christianity. I suggest all parties read the judgment of the High Court in the case of Titular Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur v Menteri Dalam Negeri.
The judgment still stands because the declaratory orders granted therein cannot be stayed even if the church and government have agreed to a stay. That stay is only confined to the order of certiorari to quash the minister's decision in respect of the permit for the CatholicHerald publication that prohibited the use of the word.
The High Court also ruled that the rulers are heads of Islam only and cannot exercise any powers over non-Muslims including alleged prerogative powers to restrict their religions except for propagation to Muslims.
Ade: BS Poh, the Alkitab is imported from Indonesia for use by the Malay-speaking Christians particularly in Sarawak and Sabah for hundreds of years.
Why don't you get those Indonesians to replace ‘Allah' with ‘Tuhan' and reprint the Alkitab to make our Muslims here happy? Try it and see how the Indonesians would react.
Apa Ini?: Poh's arguments are full of love, generosity and faith. It isn't to appease but to bring about peace. I salute him.
The Christian community should take time to consider his view. More so, all Muslims should read it and see it as not a defeat but as "the extra mile" good men must extend to fellow beings to bring about peace.
Telestai!: Many Christians will disagree with me but I am with you on this, Poh. Sometimes I find Christians a bit too confrontational and demanding when it comes to their rights.
Sure, by all means challenge the government and the Malays on the use of ‘Allah' but what will we end up with? Animosity and distrust.
If Umno is scoring political mileage with the Malays on the use of ‘Allah', should Christians get caught in the crossfire? By substituting the word ‘Allah', are we really compromising our faith? The answer is ‘no'.
As Poh suggests, there are heaps of words that can be used. It is all about the choice of words and the freedom to use words. I believe it is worth the while giving up this freedom for religious and racial harmony, at least for the time being.
Who knows when the political climate improves and Christians may once again can use the ‘Allah' word. Didn't the Bible tells us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves?
Good Men: Goodwill means nothing to those who are manipulating the ‘Allah' issue. Appeasement as suggested by Poh will only be met with further, even more extreme demands.
This is a political game played by powerful yet desperate men, not religious men. These evil hypocrites are merely trying to light the spark of discord and animosity and perhaps even violence, that will allow them to retain their seats of power and dominance over the masses.
Hopefully, for the man in the street, common sense and calm heads will prevail.
SteveOh: I do not use 'Allah' nor do I have any intention of using it even when I use the Malay language. But others do and for them it has always been an integral part of their faith.
If we apply Poh's logic and principle of appeasement, will you also stop using Jesus and the litany of biblical characters found in the Quran, if there ever is a move to stop Christians as they have with the word 'Allah'?
As I observe, the Christian Malaysians have done what you appeal and shown restraint and patience. Your intention is noble, analysis notable, but your solution unacceptable.
・The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakinisubscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments.
(4) Bake a cake for Bible burners, 29 January 2013
by Teh Thian Hwa
The threat by a small (presumably) Muslim group is against the physical book and it is over an argument over form. That form is in the use of the word Allah in Malay Bibles.
I know there are possibly significant substantive arguments that may lead to fundamental truths about God but that is not what the Bible burning is aimed at.
These Muslims dont have any ostensible issues with the teachings per se of Christianity - just the form of written expression which they are challenging. Do these Muslims pose a bigger threat than people who perhaps seek to make us hate our neighbours and rebel against God?
The one who burns a Bible is not to be feared or fought as one who teaches us to hate our neighbours and disobey God.
The command to love neighbour and God (substance) is more important than the physical book (form). The book is only a book.
It is what is in the book that matters. The ink and paper don't magically transform into something else because of the message that they carry.
If someone wants to burn those physical elements of ink on bound paper - go crazy. But if someone challenges and poses serious issues against what those pages teach, then that is when Christians should take issue. Or more seriously at least.
I hope the churches in Malaysia don't react in a way which makes reaching out ever more challenging. The edict to love our neighbours and love God is not impacted by this threat to burn Bibles.
Our ability to obey the command may however, be badly impacted by the reaction of the church to this threat.
I say: bake a cake and serve it to whoever is burning a Bible. Love him.
He isn't burning the Bible out of rebellion against God. He burns it over an argument over form. The war should be over other matters, I think.
"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." - Matthew 10:28
(5) Is there a case for Protestant Islam in Malaysia?, 31 January 2013
by Susan Loone
An expert in the sociology of religion, Syed Farid Alatas, argues that one must be cautious when calling for a need for Protestant Islam in Malaysia.
Syed Farid said that the idea of Protestant Islam or the "protestanisation" of Islam have a few problems as parallels which are not there have been drawn between reforms in the Muslim world today and the Christian Protestant reformation of the 16th century.
"So I would not go so far as to say we need to 'protestanise' Islam and certainly I am not calling for Islam to be protestanised," he said, at a plenary lecture in Penang's Wawasan Open University titled ‘Contemporary Muslim Revival: The Case of Protestant Islam".
The two-hour lecture - held last Friday - was in conjunction with the Colloquium on Democracy and Social Justice jointly organised by Penang Institute and the Islamic Renaissance Front.
Syed Farid is currently head of Malay Studies at the National University of Singapore and has published extensively on the themes of Muslim revivalism, religious extremism, decolonisation of knowledge and democracy.
Superficial parallels drawn
During the session, Syed Farid explained that the parallels that are drawn are often between specific Protestant movements in the 16th century and extremist Muslim movements of today.
"That alone should lead us to be cautious about advocating Protestant Islam unless we qualify what we mean," warned the well-known professor who read for his PHd at the John Hopkins University in the United States.
He added that discussions on the phenomena often glossed over the fact that those who have been calling for Islamic Protestanism were not suggesting that Islamic theology be reformed.
They were more concerned with social and jurisprudential reforms and were not calling for the kind of changes that Christianity underwent during the 16th century, he noted.
Syed Farid said a case can be made that Islam already had those ideas attributed to Islamic Protestanism, however, in reality, there is no equivalent of the Papacy in Islam.
"These parallels tend to be sometimes superficial, the Protestant reformation was the rejection of the obedience to the Papacy," said the professor who used to teach at University Malaya.
"It critiques the beliefs and practises of the Roman Catholic church. In the case of Islam, there is no church to break away from," he added.
"There were no central institutions similar to the Catholic church that could be the object of reform," he stressed.
Do not neglect own tradition
Therefore, what Muslim revivalists sought to reform was certain Muslim beliefs and practises, and not Islam itself, said Syed Farid.
However, this is not to say there are no parallels or lessons to be learnt from the Protestant reformation, or from Judaism of Christianity, which is close to Islam, he added.
"When it comes to Christianity, obviously an important lesson is how Europe in the 16th century managed to break away from the rest of the world for its rapid phase of development due to reforms," he said.
"Christianity, the Protestant version of it, played a very important role in the rise of capitalism, educational institutions and the various political institutions that went through reforms to make up the democratic system," he added.
"Christian theology underwent fundamental changes, which have a direct impact on the development of the sense of competition, diligence, hard work, more ethical and aesthetics kind of life which did not result in the believer turning his or her back on the world, but working in the world."
Syed Farid called on Muslims not to neglect their own tradition and to be aware of the danger of looking at Islam through the lense of Protestantism or Christianity.
"Because when we do that, we tend to neglect our own sense of understanding of our problems.
"We should be seen as viewing our own problems from our own perspective rather than from the lense of others as the lense of others may distort," he said.
However, Syed Farid said that Muslims should not reject completely the lessons they have learnt and "find the middle path" between extremes.
"As we look for this part, we need to be seriously studying the ideas of reformers from outside and inside the Malay world."
(6) Cops quiz Perkasa leaders over Bible-burning threat, 31 January 2013
by Bernama
The Penang police have recorded statements from two leaders of the Malay rights group, Perkasa - its president Ibrahim Ali and information chief Roslan Kassim - over rumours that a 'festival' was being organised to burn Bibles containing the word 'Allah' in the Malay and Jawi versions.
Penang police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi (left) said that rumours had been spread that the 'Bible-burning' gathering would be held at Padang Bandaran, Bagan Luar in Butterworth near George Town, on Sunday.
He said the police had recorded statements from both the Perkasa leaders yesterday, and that the investigation report was ready.
"Police recorded statements from both the leaders in George Town yesterday, and they were cooperative. We have prepared the investigation report and which will be submitted to the Attorney-General's Chambers," he told reporters at the Penang police headquarters in George Town today.
On Tuesday, a priest lodged a police report in Penang over the distribution of anonymous pamphlets at a church, advertising a ‘festival’ to burn the Malay language Bibles, in a field.
Police assured that there would be no such gathering to burn Bibles as alleged at Padang Bandaran, Bagan Luar because such rumours were being spread by some irresponsible people.
Abdul Rahim said apart from the two leaders, statements were also recorded from a number of individuals to assist their investigations.
Muslim and Christian leaders in George Town have been at loggerheads over the use of the Arabic word ‘Allah’, with the former claiming it to be referred exclusively to the Islamic god.
- Bernama
（End）
