Flower power at Klang church, politicians criticise JAIS raid

KLANG (Jan 5, 2014): A small group of Muslims bearing flowers, led by social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, turned up at the Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Klang this morning to defuse growing tension over the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims.
It was a pleasant surprise for parishioners, who were bracing for a protest by members of Sekretariat Solidariti Muslim Klang (SSMK) which had threatened to assemble outside the church at Jalan Tengku Kelana. Instead, it was Marina who came, with members of non-governmental organisation (NGO) Sisters-in-Islam.
But even as the floral tribute to inter-religious peace was taking place outside the church, SSMK members congregated outside the Sultan Sulaiman Stadium off Jalan Kota Raja to voice their continued displeasure over the issue.
Although Selangor Umno had made a statement on Saturday banning its members from attending any protests on the matter, among those at the gathering was Kapar Umno division deputy chief Datuk Saroni Judi.
Saroni told the crowd that if an apology was not forthcoming from Father Lawrence Andrew, editor of Catholic publication, Herald, over his insistence that Catholics in Selangor would continue to use the word "Allah" in their weekend masses, more protests will be organised.
The English and Tamil masses at the church proceeded without the use of the word "Allah" but the Bahasa Malaysia mass at noon led by parish priest Father Michael Chua saw the word being used in prayers and hymns by the congregation, comprising mostly those from Sabah and Sarawak.
Marina, the daughter of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, told reporters that the government should make a stand on the issue to calm the situation.
She also criticised the seizure of 300 Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia and Iban by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) from the Bible Society of Malaysia in Damansara Kim last Thursday.
Klang Selatan police chief ACP Kamarul Zaman Mamat, when contacted, said there were no untoward incidents at the church.
"It was all peaceful. We placed several police personnel at the church to ensure the church goers felt confident with the security in the area," he said.
At the core of the latest controversy on the word "Allah" is the statement by Lawrence, which came in the wake of the controversy surrounding the seizure of the Bibles.
The controversy over the word "Allah" began in 2008 when the Home Ministry banned the publication from using the word. The Catholic Church had contested this in court and won a High Court decision in 2009 upholding its constitutional right to do so.
A Court of Appeal decision last year overturned the High Court decision with the Catholic church lodging an appeal against the decision with the Federal Court.
In PETALING JAYA, Politicians from both sides of the divide and non-governmental organisations have castigated the Selangor Religious Affairs Department (JAIS) for seizing 300 Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia and Iban last Thursday.
The Bar Council said it was alarmed that the religious body or enforcement agency of one religion would purport to have jurisdiction or purview over other religions as this is against the Federal Constitution
"Accordingly, the raid, seizure and arrest by JAIS were unconstitutional and illegal. At a time when we should be exerting our energies and resources towards national reconciliation and harmony, the actions by JAIS are unnecessarily provocative and unwise," its chairman Christopher Leong said.
MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said all religious disputes must be resolved in a harmonious way.
"I am relieved with the statement by Selangor Umno liaison chief Datuk Seri Noh Omar that Umno will not take part in the protest," he said in reference to threats made by Muslim NGOs against churches.
In GEORGE TOWN, Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the MCA, MIC and Gerakan should have done more over acts that disparaged the religious rights of non-Muslims.
He hit out at the three Barisan Nasional component parties for not doing enough to stop certain quarters from fanning the fires of religious hatred over the "Allah" issue.
He said the deliberate heightening of tensions among different faiths is an attempt to divert attention from livelihood problems faced by the rakyat caused by hikes in sugar and fuel prices and power tariffs.
Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian asked Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to take steps to prevent future "illegal and unlawful raids" on Christian premises by JAIS.
"There is a proposal to amend the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988, and if I were Khalid, I would consider amending this law seriously," Baru told reporters at his Christmas Day open house in Kuching.