Malaysia government releases 35,000 Bibles but churches upset over desecration

The Bibles, written in the local Bahasa Malaysia language, were seized by the government amid a row over whether non-Muslims should be allowed to use the word “Allah” as a reference to God.

Muslims argue that Christians are using the term “Allah” in a bid to lure Muslims to their faith, but Christians say that the word “Allah” is not exclusive to Muslims and that Christians in Malaysia have been using the term to refer to God for generations.

The government had been in support of the ban on non-Muslims using “Allah” and blocked attempts by churches to import Bibles in the Bahasa language from neighbouring Indonesia.

The Prime Minister’s office said the Bibles had been released because the government was “committed to resolve amicably any interfaith issues”.

The General Secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia, the Rev Hermen Shastri, welcomed the government’s decision to release the Bibles, saying it was an “inalienable right” for Christians to read scripture in any language.

He is upset, however, that the government has stamped the Bibles without permission.

Rev Shastri was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying: “None of the Bibles was ever defaced in such a manner.”

According to the news agency, the CCM and the Christian Federation of Malaysia are refusing to accept delivery of the stamped Bibles.

CFM chairman Bishop Ng Moon Hing said: “We wholly reject the government’s contention that the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia is prejudicial to the national interest and security of Malaysia.”