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Saturday, December 20, 2014

HOW TO TRUST AN UMNO STOOGE! Sarawak Christians wary of A-G’s assurance on ‘Allah’ use

HOW TO TRUST AN UMNO STOOGE! S'wak Christians wary of A-G’s assurance on ‘Allah’ use
Christian leaders are sceptical over Attorney-General (A-G) Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail's assurance at a dialogue in Kuching recently that they were free to use Bibles containing the word "Allah anywhere in the country”, including in Selangor.
They said the A-G's unconvincing and evasive answers left matters “hanging”, adding that Gani was mostly giving his personal views on the issues raised.
“You can use it anywhere in the country as long as you do not use it for propagating Christianity to Muslims,” Gani had told the Christian leaders at the dialogue organised by the Department of National Unity and Integration last Saturday.
“Even if you want to use it in Selangor, I honestly do not see anything wrong,” he had said.
Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen's assistant Mordi Brimol, who attended the dialogue, described it as “a waste of time”.
Brimol said judging from the reactions and questions posed to the A-G, most of those who attended the event were unconvinced that they could use the Bibles, particularly the Malay Alkitab and the Iban Bup Kudus, in Selangor without harassment from the state's Islamic religious authorities or the police.
Brimol, who said he had “sneaked in” after hearing of the dialogue, recorded the proceedings and a copy of it was shared with The Malaysian Insider.
The A-G, in his opening statement, had told the Christian leaders that “it is wrong to say the Bible cannot use the word 'Allah'".
“You can use it but you cannot use that Bible with the word 'Allah' to propagate Christianity to Muslims.
“If you use among your congregations and to fellow Christians, then it is no issue whether in Sarawak or in the peninsula,” he had said.
“It is your right under the constitution.
“That's what the law is all about,” Gani had said, referring to the rights of other religions to practise their beliefs as guaranteed in the Federal Constitution.
“I will defend my position even if the sultan starts telling me (that it's not allowed).”
He did not state which sultan but later told the leaders that he had defied “a direct order of the Sultan of Selangor” to burn the 351 copies of the Alkitab and Bup Kudus which Jais had seized from the premises of the Bible Society of Malaysia in January.
Gani said that despite the protection given to Christians by the constitution, he knew “many people would not be happy with me, (from) both sides (for saying all this)”.
Brimol said the church leaders then asked if it was their right under the constitution to use the word Allah, why did they have to fight for that right in court.
Gani Patail
“They asked why did Jais seize the Alkitab and Bup Kudus, why were the seized Bibles stamped with the warning they could not be used in Selangor when they were finally released, and why did government departments, like the Immigration Department, seize a consignment of religious CDs at klia2.
“The questions posed showed they were just not convinced by the A-G's assurance.”
Brimol said he, too, was not convinced even though Gani had made some strong statements, including standing up to the sultan on legal matters.
In postings on his Facebook, Brimol stated that Gani gave “evasive” and “unconvincing” explanations.
“His explanation all hinged on his personal view... 'my view is' or 'I have no problem with that'...
“Throughout the question-and-answer session, I was of the opinion that he was evasive in answering the questions and would only give safe answers or those that he thought we wanted to hear.
“To sum it all up, everything was left hanging,” he said.
Apart from the Allah issue and Bible seizures, questions were also raised on the words linked to Islam which state governments like Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor and Terengganu had banned non-Muslims from using.
Gani said the Federal Constitution did not allow the states to make any laws “to prohibit the use of any word or any action”.
He added that the ban on the words “does not show anything good”.
“I hope the Muslims take that into consideration.”
The dialogue was attended by most church leaders, including the heads of the state's two biggest denominations, Archbishop Datuk Bolly Lapok, the Anglican church head for Southeast Asia and Archbishop Datuk John Ha of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuching.

Lapok also currently chairs the grouping of all churches in Sarawak, the Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS).
A day after the dialogue, ACS had issued a statement stating that though they regretted the stamping of the released Bibles, they believed that “there was no intention on the part of the authorities releasing the said Bibles to desecrate them or otherwise be disrespectful to the Christian community”.
Lapok in the statement said the association welcomed the release of the 351 seized Bibles to the ACS and “we are grateful for the intervention of the Sultan of Selangor, and satisfied with the basis upon which they were released for use by the Christian community in Sarawak”.
“Change is necessary as nations grow and develop. The process must involve continuing dialogue and be conducted in a manner which is creative, sensitive, affirming mutual learning and respect – the principle of muhibbah – as opposed to one that is crass and destructive,” he said.
Lapok said the ACS viewed the sultan’s intervention in gaining the release of the Bibles “as a demonstration of this spirit of muhibbah and an earnest call to Malaysia’s diverse religious communities to live in harmony together”. – TMI

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