And amid all the hubbub… a little kindness. Selangor Perkasa Chief Abu Bakar Yahya has directed members of the Malay rights group in the state to not stage protests in front of churches and to respect the right of Christians to perform prayers in their houses of worship.
However, Perkasa would continue to hold demonstrations to urge local authorities to uphold the state ban on the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims, and to take action against those who flout the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988.
“We will continue to protest until there is action taken by the authorities, but in no way is any Perkasa member allowed to hold any demonstrations in front of churches,” Abu Bakar said.
This is hot on the heels of the Selangor Islamic Religious Department’s (JAIS) raid on the offices of the Bible Society of Malaysia in Damansara last week, where more than 300 copies of the Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Iban translations of the Bible and 20 Bahasa Malaysia translations of Luke’s Gospel were confiscated, sparking nationwide debate on the extent of JAIS’s jurisdiction in matters concerning non-Muslims.
During the raid, Bible Society of Malaysia chairman Lee Min Choon and the society’s office manager Sinclair Wong were detained by the police, but were later released on bail the same day. Both of them are required to meet JAIS officials this Friday, January 10.
Source: The Star Online
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