Bibles stamped to keep them out of Selangor, says sultan

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah and representatives from the Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS), who received the Bibles seized in January. The sultan says the Bibles were stamped to keep them out of the state. – Pic courtesy of Selangor Menteri Besar's Office, December 11, 2014.

The 321 Malay and Iban Bibles that were returned to Christians in Sarawak were stamped with a warning by the Selangor religious authorities to ensure that the Holy Books, which contained the word “Allah”, did not return to the state, the Selangor Sultan said.

In an interview with The Star in conjunction with his birthday today, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah also said that Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS), which received the Bibles, were aware of the stamping.

The Bibles, seized on January 1 this year from the Bible Society of Malaysia’s premises by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), were returned on November 14 in a ceremony witnessed by the sultan.

However, Christian leaders later discovered the Bibles were stamped with a warning that they were not to be published or used anywhere in Selangor, angering them.

They said that the Bibles had been desecrated and demanded an apology from the state religious authorities over the matter.

The warning reads: "Strictly for non-Muslims usage only and shall not be published or used in any part of the state of Selangor pursuant to section 9 (1) Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Amongst Muslims) Enactment 1988".

The sultan told The Star that the Bibles were stamped because a 1988 law had been breached despite the Attorney-General deciding that the Bibles did not go against the said law.

A-G Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail had said in June that the Bibles were not a threat to national security, adding that there would be no prosecution in the case.

In the report today, the sultan also urged non-Muslims to respect and protect the religious sensitivities of Muslims in Malaysia, especially in Selangor.

"I hope that the distribution as well as the printing of Bibles that contain the word Allah will no longer be done in Selangor.

"The law is specific and clear – it is an offence under the Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988.

"But at the same time, we must remember that the seized Bibles belong to the Christians. They had to be returned to the rightful owners," he was quoted as saying.

On his role in returning the Bibles to ACS, the sultan said that he had consulted with the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) and Jais over the matter while a few of his aides had made "discreet" calls to ACS leaders.

"It was important that state Mufti Datuk Mohamad Tamyes Abdul Wahid was on board and he was fully for the return of the Bibles.

"The method of consultation worked well, better than calling for the burning of Bibles," Sultan Sharifuddin said, referring to a threat made by Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali last year as the “Allah” issue raged on.

The Selangor ruler said that he did not want to involve any politicians in the issue to ensure a speedy solution, admitting that the issue had "dragged on for too long".

"Yes, I did not want to involve politicians. We need common sense for religion.

"The issue dragged on for too long. In finding a solution, we wanted to look for a full stop, not a comma.”

- TMI