Bibles not subversive documents, Bible Society tells Selangor Islamic authorities (19 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bibles-not-subversive-documents-bible-society-tells-selangor-islamic-author
Sultan Selangor, Mais tidak berhak campuri urusan bukan Islam, kata pakar Perlembagaan (18 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/sultan-selangor-mais-tidak-berhak-campuri-urusan-bukan-islam-kata-pakar-per
Respect A-G’s decision in Bible-seizure row, says Najib (17 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/respect-a-gs-decision-in-bible-seizure-row-says-najib
As Bible quarrel festers, Sarawak Christians demand entry ban on Selangor Islamic officials (17 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/as-bible-quarrel-festers-sarawak-christians-demand-entry-ban-on-selangor-is
100 Muslim NGOs urge Jais not to return copies of Bible (16 June 2014)
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1083200
Mais tolak keputusan Peguam Negara tutup kes rampasan Bible (14 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/mais-tolak-keputusan-peguam-negara-tutup-kes-rampasan-bible
AG has erred, we won’t return seized bibles, says Mais (14 June 2014)
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/ag-has-erred-we-wont-return-seized-bibles-says-mais
Mais says Bibles should not be returned, wants action taken against group (14 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/mais-refuses-to-return-bibles-wants-action-taken-against-group
Selangor MB orders Jais to return seized bibles (12 June 2014)
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/selangor-mb-orders-jais-to-return-seized-bibles
Selangor arah Jais pulang kitab Injil kepada PBM (12 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/selangor-arah-jais-pulang-kitab-injil-kepada-pbm
Former Bible Society president urge Christians to forgive Jais for ‘terrible mistake’ (11 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/former-bible-society-president-urge-christians-to-forgive-jais-for-terrible
Former Bible Society of Malaysia President, Lee Min Choon today said he felt vindicated after the Attorney-General announced that the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) had erred when they raided the premises and seized more than 300 copies of Malay and Iban Bibles six months ago.
Lee, in a statement on his Facebook account, however, urged Christians to forgive Jais for what he described as a "terrible mistake".
"I always believed that A-G Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail would come to this conclusion," Lee said.
"From the moment Jais raided the BSM offices in January, arresting me and my colleague, and seizing 321 Alkitab and Bap Kudus, we always knew Jais made a terrible mistake."
However, Lee said it has been a trying 6 months of uncertainty as they did not know whether they were lawbreakers or law-abiding citizens.
"That was until Malaysia's highest ranking legal officer confirmed that the Alkitab and Bap Kudus had not breached any laws in the country.
"I thank God for the grace and fortitude he has given to my colleagues in BSM, and for bringing about a just end to this controversy.
Lee said that with the A-G's announcement, he now had an iron-clad case to sue Jais for wrongly arresting him.
"Shall I do it? Of course, not.
"I forgave Jais a long time ago and have no intention to sue or punish them in any way. The A-G’s announcement is better than any court judgment. There is nothing to be gained from a lawsuit except revenge and a sense of satisfaction. That is un-Christian.
"I call on Christians to forgive Jais as they were just doing their job but had wrongly interpreted the law. Nobody is perfect, everybody makes mistakes, let us forgive them just as Jesus Christ forgave us."
Lee also called on Jais to show the same spirit of goodwill and return the seized Bibles quickly.
"I also hope that they implement the necessary measures in the administration to avoid repetition of such incidences."
Earlier today, the A-G in a statement brought an end to this contentious issue when he said Jais had erred in seizing the Bibles.
He also said that investigations proved that the Bibles in Malay and Iban languages were not a threat to national security.
The issue began on January 2 when a Jais team raided the BSM offices in Damansara Kim and seized 321 Malay and Iban Bibles.
Lee and office manager Sinclair Wong were detained and taken to the police station. They were released on bail.
Last month, Lee had said that Jais refused to return the seized Bibles, as doing so would be an admission that they erred in both deed and manner.
"Returning the Bibles will amount to an admission that Jais was wrong in carrying out the raid and seizure, and that they wrongly arrested BSM officers and wrongly interpreted the law," Lee had said in a blog posting.
He said the return of the 321 Bibles would be a massive blow to Jais's image and prestige.
"Too many sins have been committed. It is better to hold on to the Bibles and tell the public that they are waiting for the A-G to say something.
"Hopefully, if they hold out long enough, everybody will forget about it," Lee said.
Jais conducted the raid under the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation among Muslims) Enactment 1988, which was passed by the then-Barisan Nasional state government.
It prohibits non-Muslims in Selangor from using 35 Arabic words and phrases, including “Allah”, “Nabi” (prophet), “Injil” (gospel) and “Insya'Allah” (God willing). – June 11, 2014.
Seized Bibles: the brave ones and the cowards (12 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/seized-bibles-the-brave-ones-and-the-cowards
Nothing that Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said in a press statement today on the case of the seized Bibles by Jais qualified as new or news.
Seriously, there was nothing earth-shattering about it. Why do we say this?
Because most right-thinking Malaysians knew that the raid on the Bible Society of Malaysia premises in Petaling Jaya by the storm troopers from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department on January 2 was wrong, done in bad faith and violated the constitutional right of Christians to practise their faith.
The Jais enforcers walked away with some 300 copies of the Malay and Iban Bibles, and relied on a Selangor state enactment that prohibits non-Muslims in the state from using 35 words, including Allah and Injil.
Never mind that the Federal Constitution always trumps state laws and that Putrajaya itself had come out with its 10-point resolution on unresolved issues involving Christians and allowed the import of Malay-language Bibles.
This action by Jais was mean-spirited, plain and simple. It was schoolyard bullying at its worst. Unfortunately, the sometimes prime minister chose to stay on the sidelines and the Selangor menteri besar offered only gibberish.
After more than six months, we have some closure but make no mistake, damage has been done.
The Malaysian Insider assesses the main players in this sorry episode.
Brave ones
* Bible Society of Malaysia
The past and present leaders of the society have behaved with honour and dignity throughout the past few months, always relying on legal arguments and constitutional guarantees to hammer away at Jais's case.
Sandwiched in between has been their call to their followers to show Christian charity towards their persecutors.
* Mujahid Yusof Rawa
The Parti Islam SeMalaysia man was one of the first Muslim politicians who came out openly and urged Islamic authorities across the country to act sensibly and respectfully towards non-Muslims. He deserves kudos for always putting principle before political grand-standing.
* Bernard Dompok, James Masing and other politicians from Sabah and Sarawak
These men have not flinched in their fight against religious zealots.
They saw the Jais raid for what it was: a dangerous attempt by a religious authority to narrow the constitutional freedom of religion.
Cowards
* Jais
They owe the Bible Society of Malaysia an apology for behaving like thugs and treating a legitimate organisation like an underworld outfit. They owe Christians an apology for speaking and handling the holy book like a national security threat.
Are they going to say sorry? That is probably as likely as Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan or Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi saying anything intelligent.
For Jais, arrogance courses through their veins like blood. Just look at how they showed up at a wedding in a Hindu temple to question the bride about her religious status.
* Najib Razak, Idris Jala and their ilk
When they needed the Christian vote in the Sarawak elections in 2011, Najib and gang put on such a charm campaign. They rolled out the 10-point solution, made all sorts of promises on the use of the word Allah. Anything for a vote.
But precious little was said or done in the wake of the raid. A sighting of Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Datuk Seri Idris Jala anywhere near this issue was as rare as sighting the yeti.
* Khalid Ibrahim and his exco
The main apologists of Jais. Just how disappointing was the protection afforded to the BSM by the Selangor menteri besar and his exco and the limp initial comments about the raid?
Enough for the BSM to move its headquarters from Selangor to the Federal Territory. – June 11, 2014.
Peguam negara dakwa Jais salah langkah, arah tutup kes Bible (11 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/peguam-negara-dakwa-jais-salah-langkah-arah-tutup-kes-bible
Peguam Negara,Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail mendakwa Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais) tersalah langkah dalam rampasan kitab Injil di Selangor Januari lalu dan mengarahkan mereka menutup kes tersebut.
Gani berkata kitab Injil berbahasa Melayu dan Iban yang dirampas itu bukan tulisan yang diterbitkan mengikut seksyen 9(1)(a) Enakmen Bukan Islam (Kawalan dan Perkembangan di Kalangan Orang Islam) 1988.
"Keterangan menunjukkan buku-buku yang dirampas adalah Bible dalam versi Bahasa Malaysia dan Alkitab Berita Baik adalah himpunan buku Taurat, Zabur dan Injil yang merupakan buku asas penganut agama Kristian," kata Gani.
Gani juga menjelaskan kandungan kitab yang dirampas itu tidak menjejaskan isu keselamatan negara.
"Jabatan Peguam Negara juga turut mengambil kira keterangan Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) bahawa buku-buku tersebut tidak dikawal oleh KDN dan tidak melibatkan isu keselamatan negara," katanya.
Menurut Gani lagi, tiada sebarang pendakwaan dibuat dan Jais perlu menutup kes tersebut.
"Oleh demikian, Jabatan Peguam Negara memutuskan tidak ada sebarang pendakwaan dibuat dan kes tersebut ditutup," katanya.
Mengenai gesaan supaya kitab tersebut dipulangkan, Gani menggesa supaya Jais mengambil tindakan mengikut lunas undang-undang.
Pada Januari lalu, Jais merampas lebih 300 kitab Injil berbahasa Melayu dan Iban dari pejabat Pertubuhan Bible Malaysia (PBM) di Damansara.
Bekas Presiden PBM, Lee Min Chong dan Pengurus Pejabat PBM, Sinclair Wong kemudiannya ditahan dan dibawa ke balai polis, namun kemudiannya dibebaskan dengan ikat jamin.
Serbuan Jais dibuat mengikut Enakmen Agama Bukan Islam 1988 (Kawalan Pengembangan di Kalangan Orang Islam) yang diluluskan kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) dengan menghalang bukan Islam di Selangor menggunakan 35 perkataan berbahasa Arab termasuk "Allah", "Nabi", "Injil" dan "Insya-Allah". – 11 Jun, 2014.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bibles-not-subversive-documents-bible-society-tells-selangor-islamic-author
Sultan Selangor, Mais tidak berhak campuri urusan bukan Islam, kata pakar Perlembagaan (18 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/sultan-selangor-mais-tidak-berhak-campuri-urusan-bukan-islam-kata-pakar-per
Respect A-G’s decision in Bible-seizure row, says Najib (17 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/respect-a-gs-decision-in-bible-seizure-row-says-najib
As Bible quarrel festers, Sarawak Christians demand entry ban on Selangor Islamic officials (17 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/as-bible-quarrel-festers-sarawak-christians-demand-entry-ban-on-selangor-is
100 Muslim NGOs urge Jais not to return copies of Bible (16 June 2014)
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1083200
Mais tolak keputusan Peguam Negara tutup kes rampasan Bible (14 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/mais-tolak-keputusan-peguam-negara-tutup-kes-rampasan-bible
AG has erred, we won’t return seized bibles, says Mais (14 June 2014)
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/ag-has-erred-we-wont-return-seized-bibles-says-mais
Mais says Bibles should not be returned, wants action taken against group (14 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/mais-refuses-to-return-bibles-wants-action-taken-against-group
Selangor MB orders Jais to return seized bibles (12 June 2014)
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/selangor-mb-orders-jais-to-return-seized-bibles
Selangor arah Jais pulang kitab Injil kepada PBM (12 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/selangor-arah-jais-pulang-kitab-injil-kepada-pbm
Former Bible Society president urge Christians to forgive Jais for ‘terrible mistake’ (11 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/former-bible-society-president-urge-christians-to-forgive-jais-for-terrible
Former Bible Society of Malaysia President, Lee Min Choon today said he felt vindicated after the Attorney-General announced that the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) had erred when they raided the premises and seized more than 300 copies of Malay and Iban Bibles six months ago.
Lee, in a statement on his Facebook account, however, urged Christians to forgive Jais for what he described as a "terrible mistake".
"I always believed that A-G Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail would come to this conclusion," Lee said.
"From the moment Jais raided the BSM offices in January, arresting me and my colleague, and seizing 321 Alkitab and Bap Kudus, we always knew Jais made a terrible mistake."
However, Lee said it has been a trying 6 months of uncertainty as they did not know whether they were lawbreakers or law-abiding citizens.
"That was until Malaysia's highest ranking legal officer confirmed that the Alkitab and Bap Kudus had not breached any laws in the country.
"I thank God for the grace and fortitude he has given to my colleagues in BSM, and for bringing about a just end to this controversy.
Lee said that with the A-G's announcement, he now had an iron-clad case to sue Jais for wrongly arresting him.
"Shall I do it? Of course, not.
"I forgave Jais a long time ago and have no intention to sue or punish them in any way. The A-G’s announcement is better than any court judgment. There is nothing to be gained from a lawsuit except revenge and a sense of satisfaction. That is un-Christian.
"I call on Christians to forgive Jais as they were just doing their job but had wrongly interpreted the law. Nobody is perfect, everybody makes mistakes, let us forgive them just as Jesus Christ forgave us."
Lee also called on Jais to show the same spirit of goodwill and return the seized Bibles quickly.
"I also hope that they implement the necessary measures in the administration to avoid repetition of such incidences."
Earlier today, the A-G in a statement brought an end to this contentious issue when he said Jais had erred in seizing the Bibles.
He also said that investigations proved that the Bibles in Malay and Iban languages were not a threat to national security.
The issue began on January 2 when a Jais team raided the BSM offices in Damansara Kim and seized 321 Malay and Iban Bibles.
Lee and office manager Sinclair Wong were detained and taken to the police station. They were released on bail.
Last month, Lee had said that Jais refused to return the seized Bibles, as doing so would be an admission that they erred in both deed and manner.
"Returning the Bibles will amount to an admission that Jais was wrong in carrying out the raid and seizure, and that they wrongly arrested BSM officers and wrongly interpreted the law," Lee had said in a blog posting.
He said the return of the 321 Bibles would be a massive blow to Jais's image and prestige.
"Too many sins have been committed. It is better to hold on to the Bibles and tell the public that they are waiting for the A-G to say something.
"Hopefully, if they hold out long enough, everybody will forget about it," Lee said.
Jais conducted the raid under the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation among Muslims) Enactment 1988, which was passed by the then-Barisan Nasional state government.
It prohibits non-Muslims in Selangor from using 35 Arabic words and phrases, including “Allah”, “Nabi” (prophet), “Injil” (gospel) and “Insya'Allah” (God willing). – June 11, 2014.
Seized Bibles: the brave ones and the cowards (12 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/seized-bibles-the-brave-ones-and-the-cowards
Nothing that Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said in a press statement today on the case of the seized Bibles by Jais qualified as new or news.
Seriously, there was nothing earth-shattering about it. Why do we say this?
Because most right-thinking Malaysians knew that the raid on the Bible Society of Malaysia premises in Petaling Jaya by the storm troopers from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department on January 2 was wrong, done in bad faith and violated the constitutional right of Christians to practise their faith.
The Jais enforcers walked away with some 300 copies of the Malay and Iban Bibles, and relied on a Selangor state enactment that prohibits non-Muslims in the state from using 35 words, including Allah and Injil.
Never mind that the Federal Constitution always trumps state laws and that Putrajaya itself had come out with its 10-point resolution on unresolved issues involving Christians and allowed the import of Malay-language Bibles.
This action by Jais was mean-spirited, plain and simple. It was schoolyard bullying at its worst. Unfortunately, the sometimes prime minister chose to stay on the sidelines and the Selangor menteri besar offered only gibberish.
After more than six months, we have some closure but make no mistake, damage has been done.
The Malaysian Insider assesses the main players in this sorry episode.
Brave ones
* Bible Society of Malaysia
The past and present leaders of the society have behaved with honour and dignity throughout the past few months, always relying on legal arguments and constitutional guarantees to hammer away at Jais's case.
Sandwiched in between has been their call to their followers to show Christian charity towards their persecutors.
* Mujahid Yusof Rawa
The Parti Islam SeMalaysia man was one of the first Muslim politicians who came out openly and urged Islamic authorities across the country to act sensibly and respectfully towards non-Muslims. He deserves kudos for always putting principle before political grand-standing.
* Bernard Dompok, James Masing and other politicians from Sabah and Sarawak
These men have not flinched in their fight against religious zealots.
They saw the Jais raid for what it was: a dangerous attempt by a religious authority to narrow the constitutional freedom of religion.
Cowards
* Jais
They owe the Bible Society of Malaysia an apology for behaving like thugs and treating a legitimate organisation like an underworld outfit. They owe Christians an apology for speaking and handling the holy book like a national security threat.
Are they going to say sorry? That is probably as likely as Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan or Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi saying anything intelligent.
For Jais, arrogance courses through their veins like blood. Just look at how they showed up at a wedding in a Hindu temple to question the bride about her religious status.
* Najib Razak, Idris Jala and their ilk
When they needed the Christian vote in the Sarawak elections in 2011, Najib and gang put on such a charm campaign. They rolled out the 10-point solution, made all sorts of promises on the use of the word Allah. Anything for a vote.
But precious little was said or done in the wake of the raid. A sighting of Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Datuk Seri Idris Jala anywhere near this issue was as rare as sighting the yeti.
* Khalid Ibrahim and his exco
The main apologists of Jais. Just how disappointing was the protection afforded to the BSM by the Selangor menteri besar and his exco and the limp initial comments about the raid?
Enough for the BSM to move its headquarters from Selangor to the Federal Territory. – June 11, 2014.
Peguam negara dakwa Jais salah langkah, arah tutup kes Bible (11 June 2014)
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/peguam-negara-dakwa-jais-salah-langkah-arah-tutup-kes-bible
Peguam Negara,Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail mendakwa Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais) tersalah langkah dalam rampasan kitab Injil di Selangor Januari lalu dan mengarahkan mereka menutup kes tersebut.
Gani berkata kitab Injil berbahasa Melayu dan Iban yang dirampas itu bukan tulisan yang diterbitkan mengikut seksyen 9(1)(a) Enakmen Bukan Islam (Kawalan dan Perkembangan di Kalangan Orang Islam) 1988.
"Keterangan menunjukkan buku-buku yang dirampas adalah Bible dalam versi Bahasa Malaysia dan Alkitab Berita Baik adalah himpunan buku Taurat, Zabur dan Injil yang merupakan buku asas penganut agama Kristian," kata Gani.
Gani juga menjelaskan kandungan kitab yang dirampas itu tidak menjejaskan isu keselamatan negara.
"Jabatan Peguam Negara juga turut mengambil kira keterangan Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) bahawa buku-buku tersebut tidak dikawal oleh KDN dan tidak melibatkan isu keselamatan negara," katanya.
Menurut Gani lagi, tiada sebarang pendakwaan dibuat dan Jais perlu menutup kes tersebut.
"Oleh demikian, Jabatan Peguam Negara memutuskan tidak ada sebarang pendakwaan dibuat dan kes tersebut ditutup," katanya.
Mengenai gesaan supaya kitab tersebut dipulangkan, Gani menggesa supaya Jais mengambil tindakan mengikut lunas undang-undang.
Pada Januari lalu, Jais merampas lebih 300 kitab Injil berbahasa Melayu dan Iban dari pejabat Pertubuhan Bible Malaysia (PBM) di Damansara.
Bekas Presiden PBM, Lee Min Chong dan Pengurus Pejabat PBM, Sinclair Wong kemudiannya ditahan dan dibawa ke balai polis, namun kemudiannya dibebaskan dengan ikat jamin.
Serbuan Jais dibuat mengikut Enakmen Agama Bukan Islam 1988 (Kawalan Pengembangan di Kalangan Orang Islam) yang diluluskan kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) dengan menghalang bukan Islam di Selangor menggunakan 35 perkataan berbahasa Arab termasuk "Allah", "Nabi", "Injil" dan "Insya-Allah". – 11 Jun, 2014.
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