Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak waded into the roiling case of seized Bibles translated into Bahasa Malaysia yesterday, urging the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) to discuss the matter with the Attorney-General if the religious council feels that the AG’s decision not to prosecute the Bible Society of Malaysia should be reviewed.
In a statement, Najib said the issue should be resolved through the provisions afforded by and in accordance to the spirit of the Constitution and laws, so that the resolution would be accepted by society.
“And then all quarters must respect the decision made,” he added.
The PM also said that the Selangor state government, Mais and the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), which were reponsible for the management and administration of Islamic affairs in the state, should decide whether to return the seized Bibles to the BSM or not.
“As enshrined in Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution, Islam is the official religion of the federation and other religions can also be practised in this country.
“The Federal Constitution also safeguards the sanctity of Islam and Muslims from being influenced by the doctrines and teachings of other religions,” Bernama quotes him as saying.
Najib said Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution also gave the federal government the power to control and prevent the preaching of doctrines and other religions to Muslims in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, and the same power to the state governments.
Last week, the Attorney-General’s Chambers announced that it would not be pressing charges against the Bible Society of Malaysia following the seizure of 300 Bibles translated into Bahasa Malaysia from its offices on January 2.
The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) and the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) have so far refused to return the seized Bibles, and are now seeking a court ruling enabling them to dispose of the Bibles.
Mais also insisted that Jais, which operates under its auspices, will not adhere to directives issued by the Selangor state government to return the Bibles as the state administration had “no power” in the matter.
See Also:
Mais and Jais decision not to return BM Bibles gets supporters from Malay-Muslim NGOs
Bibles in BM: Malay-Muslim NGOs accuse Attorney-General of “betraying” Islam
