1. Free Malaysia Today （https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com）
DAP wants ‘Allah’ Bibles returned to prisoners，30 April 2013
by Joseph Tawie
Political parties in Sarawak have also been urged to state their stand on the seizure of bibles from the Sibu prison.
KUCHING: The issue of “Allah” and the Malay Bible is far from over. It has cropped up again when prison authorities seized hundreds of Malay and Iban-language Bibles with the word “Allah” from a prison in Sibu over the past few weeks.
This has not gone down well with the Christians who make up 44% of the state’s population.
And the Sarawak DAP has seized the opportunity to make political mileage by asking the candidates and political parties to make their stand.
Julian Tan, DAP candidate for Stampin, said that the Malay Bible has been published for more than 400 years in Sarawak. It is widely used in rural Sarawak especially among the natives.
“Why does this word ‘Allah’ suddenly become an issue?” asked Julian.
“The seizure by the authorities is an act of aggression infringing on our constitutional rights and freedom of religion as well as violating the rights of the indigenous Sarawakians who form about 44% of the state population,” he said.
“We condemn the Barisan Nasional government for this act of aggression and demand it return the copies of the Bible to the prison.
“The BN government must respect the rule of law and the Federal Constitution,” he said when commenting on the seizure of the Bibles.
The seizure was highlighted by FMT yesterday. According to the report, hundreds of Malay and Iban-language Bibles with the word “Allah” have been confiscated from a prison in Sibu in the past few weeks.
This is in spite of the Cabinet’s 2011 10-point formula, which allows the Bumiputera Christian population in Sabah and Sarawak to bring in and use their Bibles in Malay as well as in indigenous languages.
Major issues
Commenting on the issue, state DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen called on the seven candidates of Sarawak United People’s Party to make their stand on the seizure of the Bibles.
The SUPP candidates are Richard Riot (Serian), Yong Khoon Seng (Stampin), Tan Kai (Bandar Kuching), Ding Kuong Hiing (Sarikei), Vincent Lau (Sibu), Tiong Thai King (Lanang) and Sebastian Ting (Miri).
Chong specifically named his rival for Bandar Kuching, Tan Kai, to declare his stand as he (Tan Kai) is so concerned with hudud.
“He is so concerned about hudud, but not concerned about religious freedom. I think Tan Kai should make his stand on the seizure of the Bibles.”
Chong was referring to the challenge by Tan Kai who wanted to debate with him on the question of hudud – whether the implementation of Islamic law will affect the non-Muslims – at the Dewan Masyrakat, Kuching on May 2.
In rejecting the debate, Chong described the challenge by his rival on hudud as ridiculous.
“I want to debate with him on issues such as corruption, power abuses, wastages, education, high cost of living and national debts that affect the lives of the people,” he said.
“These are important issues affecting everybody. Tan Kai insisted that the debate should be on hudud alone and avoid major issues concerning the people,” he said.
2. Micah Mandate（http://www.themicahmandate.org）
CFM abhors and protests the despicable anti-christian , 1 May 2013
by Administrator
Christians are appalled at the despicable and heinous message on election campaign boards which has gone viral among Netizens recently.
The message asking “Do you want to see your grandchildren praying in Allah’s house” and with two pictures of churches with the Cross and the words “Gereja Allah” is incendiary and may pose a danger for Christians and Churches just because we use the word “Allah”. These fears are real given the recent history of Church burnings and threats to burn the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia.
The message pits one community (Muslims) against Christians by spreading fear through scare tactics using the issue of “Allah” which the High Court had allowed as a right to freedom of religion.
CFM and other Christian leaders have in the past said that Bumiputera Christians whose only common language is Bahasa Malaysia had used the Bible in BM and the word “Allah” for centuries without any resistance until recently. Hence, it is extremely mischievous and malicious to pit Muslims against Christians who have always enjoyed good relationships, to gain political points with such blatant misinformation.
Christians and all right-thinking Malaysians should rightly condemn such inflammatory election campaign billboards and for that matter all such campaign materials and rhetoric in the run-up to polling day on 5 May 2013. We strongly urge the Election Commission to immediately remove such billboards and materials and the authorities to investigate and charge the person or persons responsible.
We call upon fellow Malaysians to report to the police such billboards and other campaign materials and speeches which disrespect our communities and incite against another religion for political expedience.
The Christian community maintains its rights as guaranteed by our Federal Constitution, which includes the right of non-Muslims to manage their own religions. This right includes those Malaysians who only know Bahasa Malaysia besides their native language, such as the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, the Babas, and the Orang Asli peoples, using the AlKitab and all other materials in Bahasa Malaysia necessary for their religious purposes.
At the same time, we note with great dismay the upsurge in polls-related violence (as reported in the media) such as the torching of cars, the planting of explosive devices near ceramah centres, arson cases and motorcycle gangs scaring off people going to ceramahs which are attempts to cause fear and intimidation in the days just before election day. We urge all to be more circumspect during this election season.
Yours sincerely,
Rev. Dr. Eu Hong Seng,
Chairman
and the Executive Committee
The Christian Federation of Malaysia
3. The Borneo Post（http://www.theborneopost.com）
(1) Why is it still an issue, asks state DAP leaders, 1 May 2013
KUCHING: State DAP leaders condemned the alleged seizure of Bahasa Malaysia and Iban bibles containing the word ‘Allah’ from the prison in Sibu by the prisons authorities.
Its Stampin candidate Julian Tan slammed the government for making it an issue again when the court had already ruled that the use of the bible was legal.
This was also in spite of the Cabinet’s 2011 10-point resolution, which allows the Bumiputera Christian population in Sabah and Sarawak to bring in and use bibles in Bahasa Malaysia and other indigenous languages.
“Christianity has been in Malaysia for centuries and Christians have been using the bibles for so long. Why is the word ‘Allah’ suddenly an issue again,” he said at a press conference here yesterday.
Tan said the seizure of the bibles was an act of aggression which infringed the constitutional freedom of religion and violated the rights of indigenous Sarawakians.
“We call upon the BN government to return the bibles and respect the constitutional rights and freedom of religion of the people.”
DAP Bandar Kuching candidate Chong Chieng Jen, meanwhile, challenged his opponent Tan Kai to make his stand on the seizure of bibles in Sibu Prison.
“Since he is so concerned about religious freedom, he should make his stand on this. He should let us know what he can do as a representative of BN,” said Chong, who is also state DAP secretary.
Chong charged that Tan Kai had ignored the bible issue and showed his concern about hypothetical cases like the implementation of hudud law which would never happen.
The Kota Sentosa assemblyman said the party’s election campaigning team would be taking a break today (May 1) and would replace it with a live band performance from ‘Voice For A Better Tomorrow’ band from peninsular Malaysia.
“The 15-member band will sing folk songs and do sketches along the line of freedom and democracy. The venue is the junction at Jalan Mendu here and the time is 7.30pm to 9.30pm.
“We want to thank our supporters for coming to our ceramah in huge numbers in Kuching. We are taking a break today to prepare for the ‘last push’ before the general election.”
Chong also thanked supporters who sent ‘Ubah’ cake and cupcakes to their party headquarters here yesterday.
(2) Sibu Prison silent on Bible confiscation, 1 May 2013
by Lian Cheng, reporters@theborneopost.com.
SIBU: The Sibu Prison authorities seized only one Bible which contains the word ‘Allah’ about a month ago, according to a reliable source yesterday.
The source also said the issue has been resolved, but all parties concerned were told not to speak to the media as any public statement on the issue should be from the prisons authorities.
In the light of a report by an online news portal which claimed that hundreds of Malay and Iban language Bibles with the word ‘Allah’ have been confiscated from Sibu Prison, The Borneo Post yesterday went to obtain a statement but was told the Sibu Prison director was unavailable for comment.
Kuching Prison headquarters was also elusive until 5.03pm when a prison officer finally referred the reporter to call prisons authorities in Kajang but no telephone or contact person was given.
The seizure of bibles containing the word ‘Allah’ in Sarawak and Sabah is against the Federal Cabinet’s 2011 10-point resolution.
The resolution stated that Bumiputera Christians in Sabah and Sarawak are allowed to bring in and use their Bibles in Malay as well as in their own indigenous languages.
The news portal quoted Prison Fellowship Malaysia executive director Prem Kumar as saying the bibles were seized from the prisoners because they contained the word ‘Allah’.
Prem said authorities began seizing the religious books after Sibu Prison director received the reply from Prisoner Management director Jamaludin Saad stating that “For your information, the Malaysian Prison Department through memo JP/PKL/Kp/2(58) dated July 25, 2011 titled ‘Use of Illegal Publication As Teaching Tools’ mentions ‘guidelines on the use of books or articles containing the word Allah in Sarawak prisons’.”
4. Aliran （http://aliran.com）
Justice, Freedom, Solidarity：The fear of Pas and hudud
by Aliran
A Malaysian Scholar of Islam provides an alternative perspective to the scare-mongering in the mainstream media about Pas and hudud laws.
The title of this informal, personal reflection echoes what is being heard in questions by non-Muslims in the run-up to the imminent 13th general election in Malaysia. This piece is not an academic exercise, it simply provides perspectives.
The title ‘the fear of Pas and hudud’ also echoes the full-page advertisements by the Barisan Nasional (BN) which have the formula: a Vote for Pas = vote for Hadi Awang as Prime Minister = Malaysia as an Islamic state = hudud law for all Malaysians. A scenario that is scary indeed for non-Muslim Malaysians.
The issue of Islam in the GE13 has evolved into the choice before voters between the moderate stance of the BN/Umno versus extremist Pas’ Islamic state and implementing Hudud.
But instead of fixating on Pas alone, we should look at BOTH BN/Umno and Pas and their Islam, right? It is only fair to look at the facts before us.
Perhaps the following points may be helpful.
MALAYSIA IS ALREADY AN ISLAMIC STATE UNDER THE BN
In late 2000, then (and won’t leave office still) Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed declared Malaysia as an Islamic state at a Gerakan assembly. There was wide publicity about this, and the booklet Malaysia Adalah Sebuah Negara Islam, was distributed widely to Malay areas by the Ministry of Information. Most Malaysians remained blithely unaware of it until 2001 when Malaysiakini ran two articles on it written by a scholar of Islam.
BN component parties held close-door meetings to ‘explain’ their acceptance of Malaysia as an Islamic state. SO, BN non-Muslim parties happily went along with turning Malaysia into an Islamic state, while many members of civil society especially non-Muslim religious groups protested. Not Bersih-style though, because in 2001 we still THOUGHT we were bersih people and government…
Among other information, the booklet Malaysia Adalah Sebuah Negara Islam, states that common law will be made “Shari’a compliant”. So let’s get real, Islamic law is already gaining supremacy by the back door via Umno.
Already, we non-Muslims are subjected to Shari’a in significant ways: in custody battles between Muslim and non-Muslim couples, and dissolution of marriages, the High Courts interpret the Constitution’s Article 121 (A) as giving primacy to the Shari’a courts and tell nonMuslims to go and get redress at the Shari’a courts. Meanwhile, the Shari’a courts do not recognise nor do they have authority over non-Muslims. So there are numerous cases unresolved – or which are resolved ONLY by the Shari’a courts that favour entirely the Muslim party. So we are caught in the middle of the hypocrisy of a BN government trying to pretend it is Islamic as well as secular. Remember Subashini et al? They’ve had to flee the country.
Converts to Islam are not allowed to revert to their original religion in our BN-controlled nation. If they try, they are subject to ‘rehabilitation detention’, punishment for ‘Insulting Islam’ under Shari’a enactments, and most appeals are rejected. Yet, scholars of Islam around the world agree that the Qur’an mandates only punishment in the hereafter for Apostasy. Remember Lina Joy or Azalina Jelani? She had to flee the country.
Since 2000, the Persatuan Ulama and many state Muftis have been quietly pressuring Jakim, the department for the development of Islam and which is located in the PM’s department (and has a huge budget allocation), about Islamising the nation. The National Fatwa Committee has grown in power and influence. The growing influence and power of Islam over All our lives has grown exponentially.
There are restrictions in government departments (although the government is for all, voted in by ALL of us) about wearing suitably modest clothes. There are do’a recited at just about every government function. National schools do not provide for any religious education except Islam. Many or not most national schools start the day with a do’a, and there have been verified reports of non-Muslim students punished for eating during Ramadan or the fasting month for Muslims; or for bringing food from home ‘that may not be halal’ for their own consumption.
We keep being told non-Malays in Kelantan are suffering, when the mainstream media run stories about various Pas forays into upholding morality. Yes, it is a bit silly having two separate lines in supermarkets for men and for women. (Just how much immorality can we get away with at a supermarket checkout? Not even worth trying…) But in 15 years of research in Kelantan and Terengganu, most non-Malays tell me they are content. Not wildly happy (that would take mushrooms) but not as angry as their west-coast relatives and friends. They tell me: little to no corruption. Can build temples, huge Buddha. They eat pork, sell beer in their bars and coffee shops. The main complaint: that Kelantan is poor BECAUSE THE BN GOVERNMENT CHEATS THEM OF THEIR PETROLEUM ROYALTIES
Our BN prime ministers from Mahathir to Badawi and now Najib go around the world boasting about moderation and tolerance in multi-religious Malaysia. Najib grandly announced abroad the setting up of a coalition of moderates in Islam. The reality as we all know is quite different.
Let’s take just one issue: the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims. The bible in Bahasa Malaysia is used by indigenous peoples in Sabah, Sarawak and in peninsular Malaysia, by the Baba community in Malacca, among others. The bible was translated into Malay in 1731 with the word “Allah” for God. In the Middle East until now, Christians pray in Arabic and use the term “Allah”. There have been no problems about this until recently. Christians who pray in other languages do not use “Allah”, they use their own term for “God”. The issue is limited to those who use Bahasa Malaysia as the only language they know besides their native dialects.
A judgement by the High Court in 2011 stated that non-Muslims could use the word “Allah” in the BM bibles. The BN GOVERNMENT, voted in by ALL Malaysians including non-Muslims, is appealing against this judgement.
In this GE 13, BN and PM Najib have repeatedly stated they “will be unwavering in maintaining that the word ‘Allah’ is holy to Muslims and only for Muslims” (Prime Minister Najib in an interview with Al-Jazeera, as well as a Bernama report of 25 April quoted in theSun). The internet features huge billboards with the BN (Note, BN not Umno) symbol, pictures of Churches, and the words in Malay “Do you want your children to pray to Allah in a Church?” and the slogan that BN will defend race, religion and nation.
Pas and hudud
(Let’s remember, we are already an Islamic state under BN. So only fair to wonder if I should write, “BN and hudud” soon). Hudud is only ONE element of an Islamic state and the Shari’a. Yes, it’s about cutting off hands, stoning people to death etc. But the onus of PROOF is so great, that most times a hudud punishment cannot be carried out. For example, to confirm adultery, there have to be four male Muslim adults who actually saw the act of penetration (usually there aren’t enough sickos around to do this). And the punishment for false accusation (qazf) is ALSO in Hudud and this punishment is severe too.
But all it takes right now for a charge of khalwat and punishment is just a man and woman who are unrelated and not married in a room with a closed door! Happens on a daily basis, and to some really top people, as Utusan will tell us gleefully when it is not raving about pendatangs etc. And we’re worried about hypothetical chopped off hands and feet littering the streets!
Throughout the history of Islamic states, there are clear examples where hudud was NOT implemented because it was not possible. Non-Muslims will certainly use that to fight Pas on hudud.
MOST of all, Pas alone as a party needs a two thirds majority in PARLIAMENT to change the Constitution to enable Hudud. Even BN’s Umno can never achieve this. How on earth is Pas going to? Pas’ own leaders have quietly acknowledged this.
Besides, Pas is part of Pakatan, (and there no hudud or Islamic state in the Manifesto, right? So why is hudud suddenly an issue? Because the BN is using it to scare non-Muslims! Because non-Muslims are phobic about Islam. Pas hasn’t spoken about hudud in a loooong time.
I would argue that Pas introduced hudud not only to conform to their vision of an Islamic state and to please their voter base; they introduced it also as their version of the ANTIDOTE TO CORRUPTION AND CRIME. Isn’t corruption and crime under BN’s so-called secular-government-cum-Islamic state rampant and completely out of control???? Perhaps some of us may want to consider hudud … just kidding.
It is completely untrue to say that ALL MUSLIMS will feel they have to comply and vote for hudud because they are Muslims. I hear this in every MCA ceramah (or is food fest the better word?). Doesn’t anyone remember the outcry by Sisters in Islam, Marina Mahathir, Haris Ibrahim of the Civil Liberties Movement, Malik Imtiaz of Hakam etc etc over Pas’ hudud when the idea was first mooted??? So who says all Muslims will feel they must have it in order to be good Muslims, and so non-Muslims had better not vote for a Muslim party?
Don’t forget Ibrahim Ali, Zulkifli Nordin et al in Umno. Aren’t they extremists who might happily introduce hudud if they could? At least in the Pas version of Islam, burning Bahasa Malaysia bibles is not an agenda, and demolishing MANY Hindu temples throughout the nation is not a FACT…
Pas has non-Muslim members. Some are standing for election! Do people know this? And this non-Muslim component of Pas is likely to grow and become a force to be reckoned with about implementing laws unfair to non-Muslims.
As part of Pas/PR manifesto: the end of racial discrimination, because racial discrimination (assabiyyah) is abhorred in Islam. BN flagrantly discriminates against non-Malays, so how is Pas going to be worse? Be clear though: there will be affirmative action under PR/Pas for ALL those in need and surely that must include many Malays who remain very poor, while an elite segment of Malays are super-rich.
I am not a Malay or a Muslim. I am not endorsing hudud as a way of life for any Malaysian. But neither do i want to live under the Islamic state we already have via BN.
I just want a multi-racial, multi-religious government that is just, transparent and honest, and which gives me the fundamental freedoms my Malaysian Constitution already guarantees me.
If Pas is willing to agree to that, and if it cannot implement hudud… What’s the “Pas and hudud” problem, people?
5．Malaysian Insider（http://www.themalaysianinsider.com）
Racism must be rejected by the people, 1 May 2013
by Ravinder Singh
MAY 1 — Actions speak louder than words. BN's words splattered all over the landscape proclaim 1Malaysia, which people have been made to believe is about all races and religions living as one big family while practicing their own religions and cultures. However, its recent actions show the hidden agenda behind the facade. The ugly head of racism has been put up for all to see.
The appearance of BN billboards with the extremely racist message "Do you want to see your grandchildren praying in this Allah's house?" is something all peace-loving Malaysians of all racial and religious backgrounds must condemn. I'm sure many Malays too do not condone this racial bigotry of stirring up racial feelings for the sake of winning elections.
Such billboards could not have gone up if the head of the BN had firmly given instructions that religious and racial issues were not to be used for campaigning. On the contrary, that BN campaigners have boldly put up such boards is evidence that they have the tacit blessings of their head and of personalities such as Dr. M and Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa to whom 1Malaysia means 1 race, 1 religion, 1 language and 1 culture. Dr M had not minced his words when saying that other races in a country must assimilate and become one with the main race and religion in the country.
It was the head of the BN who had proclaimed that he and his party would defend Putrajaya at all costs, even with crushed bodies and broken bones. So are they hoping to bring about crushed bodies and broken bones by stirring up racial and religious strife?
This shows the hypocrisy of the BN leaders, particularly the head of the BN. Could Najib please tell Malaysians whether Malays had never attended Christian Mission Schools in the past, and if they did, how many were converted to Christianity?
To my knowledge, many of the UMNO people themselves, some of whom became leaders of the country, and many other Malays who became top civil servants or some big guys in the private sector, had had their education in the Christian mission schools in Malaysia. Those Malays who attended school overseas, particularly the UK, did not attend Islamic schools but Christian schools. How many of them became Christians?
I can vouch for it that the missionary teachers in schools never tried to convert any non-Christians to become Christians, and neither did any Malay children in these schools convert to Christianity although they were exposed to Christianity daily for the many years they were in these schools.
Having spent the first three years in a Malay school, many of my Malay classmates and I moved to a Christian missionary school (the only English medium school in the district at that time) to continue our education in English. We were put in a special stream as we did not know a word of English though we were in Std. 4. The class was known as Special Malay One, or SM1. Following year, SM2, then Std. 6. From form 1 they were mixed with children who had started Std. 1 in English.
These Malay children became proficient both in Malay and English. They did well in life as civil servants, some held very senior positions; some went into the private sector and others into politics. Every morning they had stood respectfully for the Christian prayer to be recited before classes commenced, just like the doa recited in National schools. I don't know of anyone of them who converted to Christianity. They did not have any negative words for the Christians.
Some politicians have gone too far in condemning others in trying to get support. They are openly and freely breaking the law on racial sensitivities. Leaving alone the man-made law (the Penal Code), can they, as Muslims, show us where in Islam are they allowed to create racial and religious strife between people who are living peacefully. Najib's silence on this can only mean that he condones what his party members are doing.
Those politicians and parties that do not reject racism, but embrace it for personal purposes, must be rejected by peace-loving Malaysians. Malaysia can only be a better place without such racial bigots in politics in a multi-racial country.
・This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
6．My SinChew（http://www.mysinchew.com）
Pastoral communique from the Bumiputera Church in Sabah and Sarawak, 3 May 2013
Greetings in the name of our precious Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus.
We take counsel from the ancient preacher that there is a time for everything, "a time to keep silence and a time to speak" (Ecclesiastes chapter 3 verse 7).
As the Body of Christ seeking to live out his purpose and mission, we are mindful that the Church is to be a blessing to the nation, to strive for what is true, honourable, just and commendable in the interest of all people (Philippians 4:8).
But in the midst of this, issues affecting the church and the use of our Holy Scriptures have arisen. We, the native Christians of Sabah and Sarawak have kept silent for a considerable length of time. Some have taken our silence to mean something else. Therefore, the time has now come for us to speak.
When the caretaker Prime Minister first mooted the Global Movement of Moderates, we were enthusiastic in extending our support for the initiative. But ironically, the movement is being incessantly and blatantly distracted by unscrupulous elements from within its own ranks, whose strange proclivity is leaning more towards racism and extremism.
It is a grave mistake to condone extremism even for a minor political exigency because to do so is to expose our society to something so inherently base and so evil.
It is like opening ourselves to a kind of vile pervasion which could do untold, even irreparable harm. Extremism feeds on human weakness and insecurity. If left unchecked it could rob us of our true identity and eventually our soul.
A manifestation of such extremism is the extent to which fringe groups within our midst would go to advance their racism and religious bigotry over the controversy of the use of the word 'Allah' to refer to God by non-Muslims. They have even suggested an open season for burning Bibles (pesta membakar Alkitab). Nothing can be more seditious and incendiary. Yet they were tolerated by the authorities.
Let us be clear that the 'Allah' controversy is more than just about a word. Indeed, various States have passed legislation prohibiting more than three dozen words from being used by non-Muslims. This legislation is applicable and is indeed expressly directed at non-Muslims.
For instance, a fatwa which has the force of law was gazetted on 1 June 2003 in Sabah under the Enakmen Pentadbiran Undang-Undang Islam 1992 whereby the use of 32 words is prohibited to non-Muslims. These included "Allah" (God), "Ibadah" (Worship), "Iman" (Faith), "Rasul" (Apostle), "Injil" (Gospel), "Nabi" (Prophet], "Wahyu" (Revelation) and much more. This is done notwithstanding that Islamic syariah law do not apply to non-Muslims.
The first of such state legislation was introduced by the Terengganu state government in 1980. The following year, the use of the Alkitab or the Malay language bible was prohibited on grounds that it is a threat to national security. The ban has since been modified to a restriction but the Alkitab is still considered a threat to national security. In December 1986 the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a circular prohibiting the use of the word Allah' on the purported grounds that such action was necessary for the purpose of maintaining public order and to avoid misunderstanding between followers of Muslims and Christians. This administrative decision was enforced using the draconian Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
In 2003, the Bup Kudus or the Iban language Bible was banned as it contains the word 'Allah'. The ban was subsequently lifted following protests by Christians.
In Sarawak and Sabah, the word 'Allah' has been used or spoken by the native communities of the state for generations and long before the formation of Malaysia and is part of their native language. Native Bumiputeras have always been using the term "Allah" in all aspects of the profession and practice of their Christian faith from baptism to final rites and these include in services, prayers, praise, liturgy, worship, and religious education. The term "Allah" is also used in Christian publications and multi-media resources. The right of the native Bumiputeras to use or speak their own language and to practice their religion in the state is safeguarded by the Federal Constitution.
The 'Allah' controversy is not really about religion as such but about unreasonable government policies and laws. In the face of such unreasonableness we cannot and should not remain silent. The time for us to speak has come.
Two thirds of the Church in Malaysia is made up of Bumiputera Christians in Sabah and Sarawak. In this respect, we speak with pastoral and moral responsibility and authority against religious bigotry, racism and extremism in any form. But we are not alone as our non-Bumiputera brothers and sisters in Christ have also expressed similar concern over the 'Allah' issue on other occasions. We, therefore, speak as one voice.
We need more than just a display ad hoc benevolence. We need a tangible commitment from the authorities to respect and uphold the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Federal Constitution – the supreme law of the nation. We believe non-Christians, including Muslims, also share our concern.
We also acknowledge and uphold that according to Article 3 of the Federal Constitution that Islam is the religion of the Federation. By the same token people of other faiths are also accorded the constitutional guarantee of freedom to profess, to practise and to propagate their respective religions in peace and harmony in any part of the country. We are not asking for what is not already our constitutional right.
Surely the way forward is no longer found in the status quo which expects the Bumiputera Church in Sabah and Sarawak to remain silent.
This year we celebrate the fiftieth year of the formation of Malaysia. It is also fortuitous that this is also the Year of Jubilee for Christians, a year where we wait in hope and prayer for God to intervene and restore what has been ordained as rightfully ours.
We have been praying for long time now to see the righting of wrongs done to indigenous peoples in the name of development and politics. We are also praying for full respect and adherence to the Sabah 20-point and Sarawak 18-point Agreements signed with Malaya upon the formation of Malaysia. The first of these is freedom of religion. Sabah and Sarawak consented to form the greater Malaysian nation in 1963 with Islam as the religion of the federation on the express condition that there will be complete freedom of religion without hindrance placed on other religions. Thus the Government Paper "Malaysia and Sarawak published by Authority of Government of Sarawak dated 4 Jan 1962 (and this is reflected in the corresponding Government of North Borneo Paper) states unequivocally as can be seen from the following text in the foundational constitutional documents:
"People have wondered whether the fact that Islam is the official religion of the Federation of Malaya would affect religious freedom in Sarawak as part of Malaysia. This has been clarified at the recent Consultative Committee Meeting. Although Malaysia would have Islam as the official religion of the enlarged Federation there would be no hindrance placed on the practice of other religions. Complete freedom of religion would be guaranteed in the Federal Constitution. Sarawak has at the present has no established religion and it would not be required to accept Islam as its State religions."
There is an urgent need for the authorities to acknowledge our frustration and to commit to come up with a long term solution.
The time has come for us to speak but we do so in a manner of peace just as the Christ Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). We harbour neither ill will nor malice toward people of other faiths including our Muslim brothers and sisters.
Indeed, in speaking we are mindful to extend love to those who may not agree with us. The essence of God is love (1 John 4:8) thus we are compelled to love even our enemies (Matthew 5:44).
Therefore, it is incumbent on Malaysians of every faith to tolerate and embrace one another in love, in truth, and in humility.
Let us together seek to build this beloved nation for the good of all peoples so that all can enjoy the fruits of prosperity and goodness in this land the Almighty God has blessed us with.
May Almighty God bless you and keep you, may His face shine upon you and give you peace.
God bless Malaysia.
(This communiqué does not reflect the views of MySinchew)
(End)
