PAS MP and the Bible
Let us just agree that all religions need to be subjected to a critical analysis since all are based on faith and not on evidence — and this would include Islam and the Hadith, not just Christianity and the Bible.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
The problem with most Malays-Muslims, PAS MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh included, is that their understanding and opinions on Christianity and the Bible are based on the “Muslim View” (which means propaganda) and not based on any academic study.
If they feel they need to pass an opinion on another religion, they should first attend a course to study that religion so that they better-understand the matter before talking.
Malays-Muslims feel Christianity and the Bible are very simple and straightforward subjects. They are not. The early history of Christianity was one of chaos and turmoil and it was not until more than 300 years later that the doctrine of the religion was formalised.
If you think Islam is in a mess, which it is, Christianity is far worse. Christianity, just like Islam, started as a political movement and its definition 300 years later was also to fulfil a political need.
The Bible, or rather the many Bibles, are divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. I have noticed that many Malaysian Christians reject the Old Testament and only follow the New Testament (whereas in some other countries they follow both).
Malays-Muslims such as the PAS MP often quote the Old Testament, which is closer to Islam, thus ignoring the New Testament. For example, the Sharia laws of Hudud come from the Old Testament, not the New Testament. And Malaysian Christians would argue that Jesus “changed” certain things (which is the reason Malays-Muslims say the Bible was “amended” — which is the wrong terminology to use).
Anyway, this matter cannot be discussed in just 1,000 words. And there are many different views as to the “truth”. What Malays-Muslims need to understand is that the Bible(s) should be compared to the Hadith, rather than to the Qur’an.
The Bible was compiled after Jesus, just like the Hadith were compiled after Prophet Muhammad, and many Christians dispute what the Bible says, just like many Muslims also dispute what the Hadith says.
While Muslims may dispute the Bible and allege it was altered or amended, many Muslims also say the same thing about the Hadith. But if someone were to say the Hadith is “fake news”, Malays would get very upset and would say if you reject the Hadith then you are either an infidel or an apostate.
And that would be the same reaction from Christians regarding any criticism or rejection of the Bible(s).
Let us just agree that all religions need to be subjected to a critical analysis since all are based on faith and not on evidence — and this would include Islam and the Hadith, not just Christianity and the Bible.
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Sarawak church council slams PAS MP’s ‘insensitive’ remarks on Bible
(FMT) – Sarawak’s council of churches has joined the chorus of criticisms against Pasir Puteh MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh (pic) over the PAS man’s comments on the Bible made in the Dewan Rakyat recently.
In his exchange with Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham on the religion permitting adherents to consume alcohol, Zawawi had said the Bible had been amended.
The Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS) said the MP’s comments were offensive and unacceptable, adding that his statement was a direct insult against the Bible.
“The statement that ‘kitab Injil ini dipesongkan ataupun diubah’ alleging that ‘the Gospel is distorted or changed’ crosses into the boundary of religious sensitivity.
“This is considered serious and unacceptable since these statements were openly said and recorded in the official transcript of the 14th Dewan Rakyat sitting on Aug 26,” ACS chairman Archbishop Simon Poh said in a statement today.
He demanded that Zawawi retract his statement and apologise over the matter, adding that it went against the Federal Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
The PAS MP had said all religions do not allow their followers to consume alcohol, sparking a brief tiff with Ngeh.
Islam did not stop others from selling alcohol. Likewise, other religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism also did not allow adherents to consume alcohol, he told the House.
Ngeh asked Zawawi to correct his facts as other religions, such as Christianity, allowed people to taste alcohol but not get drunk.
However, Zawawi told Ngeh to check his facts, including about Christianity, “before the Bible was amended”, as even a bit of liquor was not allowed.
Ngeh retorted by telling Zawawi to ask other religious experts first, prompting the PAS MP to say he had read about Christianity written by Christians.
Other Christian leaders in the peninsula had responded to Zawawi, saying consuming alcohol was not a sin in the Bible although it condemns intoxication.
