The joy over the release turned to grief and mourning when it emerged they had been stamped with serial numbers and government seals.
The government had said the using “Allah” as a translation for “God” in the Malay-language Bibles could cause confusion and encourage conversion, which is illegal for the country’s majority Muslim Malays.
On Tuesday it announced it would release the holy books, which were seized by custom officials at two major ports over the last two years.
But Christian Federation of Malaysia chairman Bishop Ng Moon Hing said the joy over the release turned to “grief and mourning” when it emerged they had been stamped with serial numbers and government seals.
“Each copy has to be stamped with a serial number, the official seal of the relevant department…and the words ‘by order of the Minister of Home Affairs,’” he said in a statement.
Ng said that some of the bibles, all of which use the word “Allah”, had already been stamped without the agreement of the community, which was tantamount to “desecration of the bible.”
“This means that the (Malay-language) bible is now treated as a restricted item, and the Word of God has been made subject to the control of man,” Ng added.
“This is wholly offensive to Christians. Any person who respects the Holy Scriptures of any religion would be appalled by this action.”
Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein defended the policy, saying that bibles had been stamped under previous administrations.
“There was no intention to deface the bible… we will not entertain this kind of talk,” he told reporters in Parliament today.
The “Allah” row is one of a string of religious disputes that have erupted in recent years, straining relations between majority Malays and minorities who fear the country is being “Islamised”.
Malaysia’s Christians, who make up nine percent of the population and many from indigenous groups in Borneo who speak the national language Malay, say they have used the word without incident for centuries.
- AFP
What ever happen to 1Malaysia concept????
ReplyDeleteReligion shouldn't be made into an issue.
ReplyDeleteSaya ingat isu ini dah lama selesai. Masih lagi mempertikaikan isu 'Allah' ke?
ReplyDeleterespect each other.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of Allah still pending at federal court. Apa yang selesai? Kristian boleh guna nama ALLAH di Malaysia atau sebaliknya? Bukan kah itu hakim kasih sokong kristian boleh menggunakan nama Allah tapi orang syaitan dari asssno mengamuk? Kelakuan orang asssno macam syaitan bukan kelakuan Allah.
ReplyDeleteKenapa indonesia tiada masalah tapi malay-sial saja yang bermasalah? Adakah Allah begitu lemah hendak hypocrite dari orang asssno mempertahankan namaNya? atau itu kerja suruhan dari SYAITAN?
Siapa makan cili, dia akan rasa pedas. Sendiri mau ingat lah.
Kita mahu isu ini diselesaikan sebaik-baiknya..
ReplyDeletesetiap pekara perlulah diselesaikan dengan sebaiknya. semua perlu saling menghormati.
ReplyDeleteIsu ini akan selesai bila umno kalah pilihanraya 13. Senang aje.
ReplyDeleteAre you ready Sabahans to kick the racist umno out from Sabah? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
to all concerned ....
ReplyDelete"your hearts have died in respect to ten things:
► First, you know Allâh but you do not give Him His rights;
second, you have read Allâh’s Book but you do not act by it;
third, you claim to love Allâh’s Messenger – Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him – yet you abandon his Sunnah;
fourth, you claim to be enemies to Shaytân but you conform to [his ways];
fifth, you say you love Paradise yet you do not work for it;
sixth, you say you fear The Fire yet you put yourselves closer to it [by sinning];
seventh, you say death is true but you do not prepare for it;
eighth, you busy yourselves with the faults of others and disregard your own;
ninth, you consume the favors of your Lord but are not grateful for them; and
tenth, you bury your dead but take no lesson from them.”
[Abû Nu’aym, Hilyah Al-Awliyâ’ 8: 15, 16.]
walaupun agama Islam adalah agama rasmi negara ini, kerajaan tetap perlu menghormati agama-agama lain sesuai dengan perlembagaan yang meletakkan Malaysia antara negara yang mendukung kebebasan beragama.
ReplyDeleteThis is not an issue for Sabah and Sarawakians as we have religious acceptance here. It does not bother the Sabah Muslim's that Malay bibles was circulated.
ReplyDelete