Bible Society criticises Selangor for ‘washing its hands’ of confiscated Al-Kitab

The Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) has criticised the Selangor government for asking the society to write to the Attorney-General's office for the return of 300 Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia (Al-Kitab) and the Iban language (Bup Kudus).

Claiming that the Selangor exco had made many promises to return the Bibles that were seized by the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) in January, the BSM considered the latest statement from Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as the state "washing their hands off the problem".

"The BSM will not write to the AG," the society said in a statement released in response to the state government's request.

"BSM was raided by Jais, a Selangor government department. The Bibles are held by Jais in their office in Shah Alam, a stone’s throw from the menteri besar’s office.

"So, this problem was caused by a department of the Selangor state government," the BSM said.

Calling the original raid by Jais an "assault by Selangor state authorities against the rights of the Christian community in Selangor", the statement called upon the state government to correct this unjust situation.

The BSM also said it has adhered to the 10-Points Solution, as agreed by the Federal government in April 2011, which allowed for Christians to import, print and distribute the Al-Kitab throughout Malaysia.

"We have imported the Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia many times over the past two years, and the Federal government has kept its side of the deal by having the Bibles promptly cleared and released without delay.

"Therefore, the action of Jais in raiding BSM and the move by the state government today, washing their hands off their responsibility, is a clear statement to the people of Selangor that Selangor rejects the 10-Points Solution," the BSM said.

The society also expressed its belief that the MB's statement shows that the state government does not intend to accord Christians in Selangor, as well as the rest of Malaysia, access to their holy books in the national language. – April 2, 2014.