Father Lawrence Andrew of The Herald draws attention to fact that PM Najib has okayed the use of the al-Kitab among Christians.
“Action must be taken against Ibrahim for fanning religious discord,” said Father Lawrence.
The Herald which enjoys a circulation of about 14,000 copies nearly lost its publishing licence for using the word ‘Allah’ as a translation for ‘God’ in its Malay language Bibles.
On Saturday, at Perkasa a convention in Penang, Ibrahim caused a stir when he urged Muslims to burn the al-Kitab (Malay-language Bibles) containing the word ‘Allah’.
His statement drew condemnation from various quarters, with civil rights lawyer Syahredzan Johan calling for Ibrahim to be investigated under the Penal Code and the Sedition Act.
Father Lawrence said that Article 11 of the Federal Constitution guarantees the freedom of worship to all Malaysians and how they managed their respective religious affairs.
“And the use of the al-Kitab (Bible) is protected under the Constitution.What Ibrahim said goes against the highest law of the land,” he said.
Ibrahim is not above the Cabinet
Father Andrew added that even Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, via a letter in 2011, had okayed Christians to use the al-Kitab, after a meeting with the Cabinet.
“Najib is clear about it. Ibrahim is not higher than the Cabinet,” said Father Andrew.
Mar Thoma-Syrian Church of Malaysia’s senior priest Thomas Phillips said that it was sad and disgusting for someone to call for the burning of another’s religious scripture.
“If you’re not happy with something, hold dialogues instead of creating fear and animosity,” said Phillips.
He urged the authorities to look into the matter as his comments does not bode well for the government’s image.
“But Malaysians are fair minded people and I believe that good sense will prevail,” said Phillips.
Whether he would lodge a police report on the matter, Phillips said: “We learn to forgive people. Some say things out of ignorance. We’ll tell our members to be patient.”
Rakyat Malaysia seharusnya mengambil pendekatan sederhana daripada segi sudut pandangan mereka mengenai kepelbagaian agama di negara ini dan menjadikan Malaysia sebagai negara contoh bagi toleransi agama dan keharmonian kaum.
ReplyDelete“Saya menggesa rakyat Malaysia bergandingan dengan saya untuk menjadikan Malaysia sebagai model bagi toleransi antara agama dan keharmonian antara kaum kepada dunia,”kata Najib.
ReplyDeleteNajib berkata rakyat Malaysia perlu mengelak daripada terbabit sebarang bentuk ekstremisme yang boleh menganggu-gugat negara dan menghalang visinya untuk menjadi negara berpendapatan tinggi.
ReplyDelete“Kita berdepan banyak cabaran pada hari ini termasuk pembasmian kemiskinan serta mentransformasi Malaysia menjadi negara maju berpendapatan tinggi dalam tempoh 10 tahun.
ReplyDelete“Dan bagi kita untuk berdepan dengan cabaran-cabaran ini, kita perlu mengiktiraf prinsip asas demokrasi iaitu hak perlu diseimbangkan dengan tanggungjawab,” katanya.
ReplyDeleteNajib berkata rakyat Malaysia perlu menggunakan kebijaksanaan untuk memahami hak semua warganegara dalam mengamalkan agama mereka dengan bebas dan tanpa gangguan.
ReplyDeletePerdana Menteri berkata rakyat Malaysia juga perlu menggunakan kebijaksanaan dan belas kasihan untuk membantu satu sama lain tanpa mengira etnik dan latar belakang.
ReplyDeleteMalay Bible is found in the internet. Any body can read it including Muslim. How would PAS and BN handle this issue? Shut off internet forever and return to the stone age?
ReplyDeletejagalah perpaduan dalam masyarakat kita.
ReplyDelete