‘No dispute Jais acted within its powers’

(The Rakyat Post) – There was no dispute that Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) acted within its authority in seizing the bibles from the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM), said Parit Buntar Member of Parliament and PAS leader Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa.

But in dealing with other religions, the issue should be handled wisely, he said.

“Jais could have called to checked with BSM when it found out that the bibles contained the world ‘Allah’.

“There would have been no need for confiscation of the bibles to begin with,” he said.

He added that the bibles were already stamped and serialised with the Home Ministry’s label stating that the publications were intended for non-Muslims only.

“This was the agreed procedure between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Christian leaders until the ban on the use of ‘Allah’ is resolved,” said Dr Mujahid.

He was referring to the 10-point solution announced in 2011 which agreed that bibles in all languages could be imported into the country, including Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia.

On a separate matter, he said Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah and ex-wife Indira Gandhi should consider sharing the custody of their three children.

Mohd Ridzuan has refused to return their 6-year-daughter despite a recent Ipoh High Court order which directed the police to hand her over.

“But it is unlikely to happen as the real issue here is the conflict between both parents, and sadly, religion had been dragged into it.

He said the matter could not be resolved through legal recourse due to clear contradiction between the Syariah law and the civil law, which had led to police inaction.

Dr Mujahid pointed out that under Federal Constitution clause 121(1A), the civil courts shall have no jurisdiction in respect of any matter within the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts.

Earlier on, Dr Mujahid and former Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah announced collaboration to co-author a book titled New Politics aimed at promoting moderation and bi-partisanship in politics as opposed to extremism.

The book will also include wide ranging questions from the public for the two leaders to answer and address.