Police have returned all 31 copies of Christian hymnals to a Catholic priest, two weeks after they were seized near a bookshop in Tangkak, Johor for containing the word "Allah".
Father Cyril Mannayagam said the books were handed over to him at the Ledang district police headquarters in Tangkak at 9.45pm tonight, without any conditions.
Cyril, who was accompanied by his lawyer, said the hymnals were in good condition and were not stamped with any warning by authorities.
"I am very happy that the books have been returned to me without any damage or conditions attached by the authorities," he told The Malaysian Insider when contacted.
"And I am glad that the authorities did not prolong this further and gave me back the books in time for Christmas."
He said he would send the books to the Orang Asli parishioners, whom they were meant for originally.
Cyril had earlier said he would not accept the books if they had been damaged or if the authorities attached a condition to the usage of the books.
"This means that there should be no stamping or warnings or other conditions set to enable me to get the books back," he had said.
The hymnal books, with the word "Allah" and a Crucifix on the front cover, were seized by police on December 5.
Cyril, 44, was also questioned by police over the books.
He had sent the books, meant for his Orang Asli parishioners, for photocopying at a bookshop in Tangkak.
When Cyril returned to pick up the books, several policemen told him to follow them to the nearby police station.
Police previously said the priest was being investigated under Section 298A of the Penal Code for causing disharmony, disunity, or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will on grounds of religion.
Following the incident, Johor police had come under criticism, with lawyers citing a decision by the Supreme Court in 1988 which rendered the law used on Cyril as unconstitutional.
Cyril, who has worked with the Orang Asli Christian community for over four years, said the books were meant for a Christmas service with some 100 Orang Asli parishioners in Bekok.
He said the book was prepared by the indigenous community and had been used in their worship services for many years, and denied he was trying to sell the books.
Earlier today, Cyril told The Malaysian Insider that he could easily have used other books for the service or even photocopied more of the same hymnal books after the seizure, but decided he had to fight for his freedom to worship.
"The books are not important here. The thing is, my rights, and the rights of my people (parishioners) were taken away from us. And that is why I wanted to fight this," he said. - TMI
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