Fatwa council backs Jais, says no need to return seized bibles

(The Malay Mail) – Widely-panned for confiscating 300 bibles containing the word “Allah”, Selangor Islamic enforcers have instead earned the suppport of the National Fatwa Council, which said there was no need to return the seized Christian holy books.

In a statement published in Malay daily Utusan Malaysia today, the council responsible for issuing Islamic edicts also warned that chaos and bloodshed might happen if the respect between Muslims and non-Muslims dissipates, and if the public continues to ridicule the Islamic clergy and political leaders.

“Today’s special muzakarah supports the action of the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) in handling the use of ‘Allah’ word,” the council said, using the Arabic word for discussion.

“The raid was done according to the provision of law and with the decree of the Sultan of Selangor, and there is no need to return the seized books,” it added.

“The muzakarah also regrets the action of some parties who try to polemicise sensitive issues, such as Jais’ enforcement of the fatwa on the use of the word ‘Allah’, and making religion a political bait.”

The council was also disappointed that the public allegedly ridiculed and used profane words against ulama (Islamic religious clerics) whose decree did not match the public’s expectations.

In addition, it also expressed its concern over the allegedly new disturbing trend and culture of Malaysian Muslims to disrespect their leaders.

It did not name anyone in its statement.

“The act of censuring leaders—because the public is dissatisfied with the government’s decision or action—must not be seen as trivial, because it will cause slander, chaos and destabilise a nation,” the statement said.

Despite that, the council also reminded political leaders to be more sensitive towards public sentiment.

The National Fatwa Council made the statement following Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s call to Jais yesterday, to return the 300 bibles in the Malay and Iban languages it had seized from the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) earlier this month.

The PKR adviser said he disagreed with the “high-handed” way in which Jais confiscated the bibles, adding that the Islamic religious authorities could have addressed the issue in a better way.

Two weeks ago, Jais raided the premises of the BSM in Petaling Jaya in a bid to enforce the state ban, carting off over 300 copies of the bible in both the Malay and Iban language.

The seizure was widely condemned by civil society groups and political parties on both sides of the fence, who said the raid was illegal and accused Jais of overstepping its jurisdiction over Muslims.

Jais, which was reported to have cited a controversial 1988 state law banning non-Muslims from using a list of Arabic words including “Allah”, has said it is still investigating claims Malaysian Christians may have used the bibles to propagate their religion to local Muslims — an act disallowed under federal law.