1.Malay Mail Online(http://www.themalaymailonline.com)
(1) Selangor returns seized bibles to Christian group, 14 November 2014
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — The Pakatan Rakyat Selangor government returned today the Christian bibles containing the word “Allah” to the Bible Society of Malaysia confiscated by its state Islamic enforcers in January.
Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali was pictured giving back the Malay and Iban-language bibles to the Christian bookstore at Istana Alam Shah in Klang earlier this morning.
“An amicable resolution to the issue of the seizure of the Malaysia Language Bibles containing the word Allah,” Azmin tweeted from his @AzminAli account, attaching a photograph of the ceremony.
Using a 1988 Selangor state law that prohibits non-Muslims from using “Allah” to refer to God, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) carried out a surprise raid of BSM’s Selangor office on January 2, and seized over 300 copies of the bible in Malay and Iban.
After months of waiting for the bibles’ release, the BSM’s then president Lee Min Choon said in April that BSM would move its headquarters to the federal government-ruled Kuala Lumpur to get “better protection” and avoid future bible seizures.
The Attorney-General said last June that the bibles, which were seized during Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s administration, were not controlled items and did not constitute a national security issue.
Despite Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Cabinet issuing a 10-point solution in 2011 that allowed the distribution of Christian bibles in the Malay, Indonesian and indigenous languages, a Sabahan Christian’s religious compact discs (CDs) and books were confiscated last month at the second Kuala Lumpur International Airport (klia2).
After the Christian materials were returned to the Sabahan last week, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup said Putrajaya will draw up new guidelines to ensure Christian materials destined for Sabah and Sarawak are no longer wrongfully seized.
(2) Perlis mufti commends Azmin for ending bible standoff , 14 November 2014
by Syed Jaymal Zahiid
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — Perlis Mufti Datuk Dr Juanda Jaya today commended Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali for his role in the return of bibles seized because they referred to God by using the word “Allah”.
In a Twitter posting, Juanda praised Azmin as a brother for the well timed resolution.
Many others also singled out Azmin for praise. The son of former MIC president, Vel Paari Samy Vellu, earlier labelled Azmin as a “true Malaysian” for helping return the bibles, also in a Twitter posting.
Other notable tweets were from Eric Paulsen of rights group Lawyers for Liberty who tweeted “congrats for being resolute in resolving the bible issue — no flip-flipping or passing the buck — that’s good governance”.
The Pakatan Rakyat Selangor government returned today the 321 Malay and Iban language Christian bibles containing the word “Allah” to the Bible Society of Malaysia confiscated by its state Islamic enforcers in January this year.
In a tweet, Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali was pictured giving back the three Malay and Iban-language bibles to the Christian bookstore at Istana Alam Shah in Klang earlier this morning.
“An amicable resolution to the issue of the seizure of the Malaysia Language Bibles containing the word Allah,” Azmin tweeted from his @AzminAli account, attaching a photograph of the ceremony.
2.Free Malaysia Today(http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com)
(1) Perkasa warns Azmin on returning seized Bibles, 7 November 2014
by Suresh Kashuerin
Selangor Perkasa chief says Azmin's actions, that go against Mais and Jais, will threaten the future of Malay Muslim youth.
SHAH ALAM: The Selangor chapter of Perkasa wants Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali to remember his faith and stop siding with Christians on the issue of 321 copies of the Bible, in Malay and Iban, seized by religious authorities some ten months ago.
Perkasa was taking issue with Azmin saying in recent days that the Bibles, apparently meant for Sabah and Sarawak, belonged to Christians and must be returned to them.
The Selangor chapter is worried that Christians would use the Bibles, once returned, “to lead Muslim youth astray”.
“Azmin’s actions will threaten the future of Malay Muslim youth. This means Islam is under threat,” said Selangor Perkasa chief Abu Bakar Yahya in a media update. “It is a huge threat when a Malay leader who professes to be Muslim wants the Bibles returned.”
He added that Selangor Perkasa was very uneasy that a Malay Muslim Menteri Besar would want to go against Mais and Jais, the religious authorities, over Islamic issues.
Abu Bakar reiterated that Azmin, as a Muslim Menteri Besar, should fight for the rights of members of his faith guided by Islam and not side with Christians.
“Maybe he is just saying all this – returning the Bibles — but won’t actually carry it out. If it happens, we will see how the situation is.”
Abu Bakar claimed that his NGO was upholding the Federal Constitution on the issue. He could not however explain how that could be achieved by seizing the Bibles meant for Sabah and Sarawak.
Instead, he reiterated that “Mais and Jais had seized the Bibles and locked them away in order to protect Muslims of Selangor, especially youth, who may be confused by the publication”.
“There should be no ‘Allah’ in the Bibles because otherwise the Bibles can be considered as trying to incite and proselytise to the Muslims, especially the youth,” said Abu Bakar who declined to make the languages of the Bibles, Malay and Iban, an issue.
“The word ‘Allah’ is the reason why the Bibles were confiscated,” he maintained.
“The Bibles can destroy the faith of young Malay Muslims, and that is a threat. The Selangor religious authorities have a right to take action.”
Abu Bakar stressed that Muslims do not hate other religions and races “but what matters is co-operation.
“The Federal Constitution states that other religions can practise their faith, but that does not mean they can proselytise to Muslims,” he said.
(2) Borneo NGO queries ‘return’ of seized Bibles, 15 November 2014
by Joe Fernandez
No one can dictate how anyone should or should not address his or her God.
KOTA KINABALU: The UK-based Borneo’s Plight in Borneo Foundation (Bopim), a human rights NGO working across the political divide, has queried the “strict conditions” attached to the return of 351 copies of the Bible in Malay and Iban seized in Jan by the religious authorities in Selangor on the grounds that it contains the Arabic term “Allah” for God, deemed exclusive to Muslims.
The NGO has taken the position that the religious authorities concerned may have deluded themselves into thinking that this is the mother of all “face saving gestures”.
“These religious authorities may think that they can direct that the returned Bibles should not be distributed in the state, especially among Muslims,” notes Bopim President Daniel John Jambun in a reaction to the apparent ending of the saga. “But on what grounds are they dictating where they should be distributed?
“They cannot claim that places outside Selangor also come within their jurisdiction.”
Also, he pointed out, that there are more than 20 Ibans in Selangor and more than 331 other Sarawakians and Sabahans in the state.
“Twenty Ibans and 331 other Borneons in Selangor should not be deprived of these Bibles,” he added. “The thousands of Sabahans and Sarawakians in Selangor should also not be deprived of the Bible in Iban and Malay.”
Daniel has also queries for the religious authorities in Selangor who returned the seized Bibles.
He wonders how these authorities will monitor how the returned Bibles will be distributed.
“Will they be accompanying the returned Bibles to KLIA2 and making sure on which flight they are loaded and probably following the flight as well? he asked. “Has the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM), which owns the returned Bibles, been instructed on this?”
The Bopim Chief’s “amazement” on the Bible saga doesn’t end there.
He notes that the religious authorities have not expressed even one word of remorse over the seizure of the Bibles nor offered an apology.
Instead, they continue to maintain that they worry the seized Bibles were part of a plot by Christians to lead Malay youth astray, he further noted. “It’s wonderful that there are at least 20 Malay youths in Selangor who can read Iban,” said Daniel in offering his congratulations to those 20 Malay youths in Selangor who are proficient in Iban.
One final point that he wants to make is that it’s syirik (blasphemy) in Islam to concede that there’s more than one God. He wants to know the collective stand of the religious authorities in Selangor and other states including Sabah and Sarawak, Jakim and the National Fatwa Committee on this matter.
“It’s obvious to any sane person that no one can dictate how anyone should or should not address his or her God,” stressed Daniel. “No Court, Government, law, or fatwa can dictate that Allah is exclusive to Muslims.”
He called on those running amok with religion in the country to return to sanity and not continue to make “a laughing stock of themselves in the eyes of the world” but nevertheless conceded that “it’s their call”.
3.Malaysian Insider(http://www.themalaysianinsider.com)
Ending the Bible grab with no apologies, but a warning, 14 November 2014
Christians in Sarawak should be grateful, one supposes, now that Selangor has returned 351 copies of Malay- and Iban-language Bibles that were seized more than 10 months ago.
The bibles that were seized by the Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) from The Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) on January 2 were returned to Christians in Sarawak today through the Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS) in a ceremony at the Selangor palace in Shah Alam.
They were handed to Sarawak Christians and not to the peninsula-based BSM as part of the condition that such material was not to be distributed in Selangor, especially among Muslims, a statement from the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) later said.
"This settlement is to respect each other's religious beliefs and maintain the sensitivity of various religions in the country," Mais chairman Datuk Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa said in a statement today.
There were no apologies for seizing the Bibles, which were meant for Christians in Sarawak anyway. None. Just a warning not to distribute the Bibles in Selangor.
Now, why would the authorities reframe the narrative knowing full well that the Bibles were never for distribution in Selangor? Why the warning, as if they are doing everyone a favour by returning the Bibles which they wrongly seized?
Instead of being magnanimous and saying sorry, they have changed the genesis of this episode.
After all, it is Putrajaya's cabotage policy that precludes direct imports to Sabah and Sarawak for such bulky items.
All these items have to be brought through a port in the peninsula before being distributed to other parts of the country, including Sabah and Sarawak.
Why blame the BSM for bringing in the Bibles through Port Klang when it has to follow government policy on imports?
The least that the Selangor authorities can do is regret what happened, knowing full well that the Christians are a minority in the country and would not dream of breaking state laws. And apologise for the misunderstanding.
But, no: the Christians have to turn the other cheek and be grateful for tender mercies. That should never be the case for any Malaysian, to be grateful for what is a right under the Federal Constitution. Perhaps, one day, the authorities can learn to match deeds with the fine words they used today.
4.Today Online(http://www.todayonline.com)
321 seized Bibles returned to Christians in Sarawak, 15 November 2014
Books returned on condition they are not distributed in Selangor, especially among Muslims
KUALA LUMPUR — About 321 Bibles seized from the Bible of Society of Malaysia (BSM) by the Islamic authorities in Selangor this year over their use of the word “Allah” to refer to God were returned to Christians in Sarawak yesterday, bringing to an end the controversial move which had drawn fire from Christians and minority groups in the country.
The Malay and Iban Bibles seized by the Selangor Islamic Department from the Bible group in January were yesterday handed over to the Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS) in a formal ceremony at the Selangor palace.
The Bibles were returned to the Sarawak Christians and not to the Peninsula-based BSM society on condition that the books were not to be distributed in Selangor, especially among Muslims, the Selangor Islamic Religious Council said.
“The return of these bibles containing the word ‘Allah’ is made with strict conditions that (these) Bibles are not to be distributed in the state of Selangor, especially to the people of the Muslim faith,” said Council chairman Mohd Adzib Mohd Isa.
He added that the deal that allowed the books to be returned also required followers of other faiths to observe a decree by the Sultan of Selangor Sultan that Muslim sensitivities be respected.
Earlier, Selangor Chief Minister Azmin Ali had posted on Twitter: “An amicable resolution to the issue of the seizure of the Malay language Bibles containing the word Allah.”
Along with his tweet, he included a photograph of himself and the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, watching a handover ceremony of a copy of a Bible to the ACS chairman, Rev Archbishop Bolly Lapok.
Using a 1988 Selangor state law that prohibits non-Muslims from using the word “Allah” to refer to God, the Selangor Islamic Department shad carried out a raid of BSM’s Selangor office on January 2.
BSM’s then president, Lee Min Choon, and office manager Sinclair Wong were taken for police questioning and later released. The case was later referred to the Attorney-General’s Chambers by the Selangor government.
Both the state’s religious bodies — the Selangor Islamic Department and the Selangor Islamic Religious Council — had refused to return the Bibles even after the Attorney-General said there was no basis to charge BSM as the Bibles were not a threat to national security.
They had also defied orders by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat-led state government to return the Bibles, saying the state administration could not interfere in their management of Islamic affairs.
In a statement yesterday, Mr Azmin thanked the sultan for his wisdom and foresight in resolving the matter and reminded Selangor citizens to respect the status of Islam as the State religion.
“However, as freedom of religion is enshrined in the constitution, extremist sentiments, race baiting and religious fanaticism will not be part of the administration,” he said.
He said his administration would pursue “all means possible to enhance and foster communal and religious understanding in Selangor”.
Rev Bolly, who is also the Bishop of Kuching, said the ACS welcomed the return of the Bibles and thanked the sultan for his intervention.
“It would not have been proper to allow these Bibles to be stored indefinitely or destroyed. In this manner, the Bibles are being delivered to the ACS for distribution in Sarawak,” he said.
In recent years, Christians and minority groups in Malaysia have voiced concerns their rights could be eroded in a clash between Islamic law and the constitution.
The raid in January came months after a Malaysian court in October last year ruled that the Arabic word “Allah” was exclusive to Muslims, overturning a court decision that allowed a Roman Catholic newspaper printed in Malay, the country’s national language, to use Allah.
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