Christians won, pro-sedition group says of Selangor’s move to return bibles

(Malay Mail Online) – A pro-Sedition Act lobby claimed today that Allah’s wrath will befall Selangor after the state’s Islamic authorities handed the Christians a “big victory” by returning the bibles containing the word “Allah” seized earlier this year.

The group, which calls itself the Movement of Citizens Defending the Sedition Act 1948, said the Christians succeeded in forcing the Sultan and the religious authorities to accede to their demands through their “lackey”, the new Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali.

It further claimed that returning the bibles would open the doors for Christians to belittle Islam and the Sultan, which the group said began immediately after the bibles were returned to the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) this morning.

“Today is a big victory for the Christians in Malaysia especially in Selangor after they have succeeded in submitting the Sultan and MAIS (Selangor Islamic Council) through their lackey, the new Selangor MB Azmin Ali.

“The bibles, which were seized because they violated state laws, were even returned in the palace. How happy the Christians are that they have begun making sarcastic comments and insult Islam, the federal government and JAIS (Selangor Islamic Affairs Department),” the group said in a statement.

It added that the settlement was reached because the Christians knew how to exploit the “frail” religious institutions.

The group also blamed Selangor Muslims for allowing the Christians to capitalise on their disunity, which it then claimed isolated the Sultan when the issue erupted and MAIS attacked.

“Whose fault is it? Malay-Muslims in Selangor should reflect on themselves because they did not unite behind the Sultan when he was alone defending MAIS when MB (Tan Sri) Khalid Ibrahim is no longer there.

“The Sultan too needs his people. His Royal Highness can’t fight alone,” it said.

Malay right wing groups such as Perkasa and Isma previously rallied behind MAIS and JAIS when the two agencies refused to return the bibles following the Attorney-General’s refusal to prosecute BSM over the bibles.

Today, MAIS said it returned the bibles seized from the Christian society on condition that the holy books are not distributed in the state.

MAIS chairman Datuk Mohd Adzib Mohd Isa also said 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 that Muslim sensitivities be respected.

MAIS said the deal was struck out of “respect for religious beliefs and (to) maintain the sensitivity of various religions in the country”.

It also said the decision was reached following the Attorney-General’s decision not to prosecute BSM over the matter and his eventual instruction to dispose of the bibles.

In January, JAIS had seized the bibles during a raid on BSM’s then-headquarters in Petaling Jaya on suspicion that these were used for proselytising to Muslims.

The society later explained that the books were meant for churches in Sabah and Sarawak, where Christians worship in Malay and refer to God as “Allah”. It also argued that the tomes were protected under Putrajaya’s 10-point solution.