BN- Home Ministry Violates Dignity of the BIBLE!!

Hishammudin and his Home Ministry must answer for this OUTRAGE!!!

Not only have they kept the Bible for 2years! But now they have violated the Bibles without permission!!

I call on all Christian in Malaysia to show that they will not stand for this great injustice and make sure that Najib, Hishamemoodin and BN not come back to power in the next Election!!

The 5,100 Malay-language Bibles which have been impounded at Port Klang for about two years, have been stamped with a Home Ministry reminder on its front pages without the consent of the importers. According to the importer, the Bible Society of Malaysia, the Home Ministry had stamped the Bibles with words that were different from what was agreed upon between its representatives and the ministry, as stated in a letter on Dec 22, 2005. Also stamped onto the Bibles were areas to print serial numbers. In a statement issued late this afternoon, the importer said that it was informed that the ministry had done so when a ministry representative called them to collect the shipment. "At 5pm today, KDN informed Bible Society of Malaysia that they had already (stamped) the Bibles and asked Bible Society of Malaysia to come collect the Bibles," it said.

According to the society, the ministry had stamped spaces for the serial numbers into the Bibles and the words "Al Kitab Berita Baik ini untuk kegunaan penganut agama Kristian sahaja" ('This "Al Kitab Berita Baik" is only for use by Christians only.")

'We should have been consulted'

In the 2005 letter, the society added, the ministry had agreed to allow the import of Malay-language Bibles provided that the sign of the cross and the words 'Penerbitan Kristian' (Christian publication) be embossed onto the covers by the Christians themselves. "As the Bible is the holy book of the Christians, due respect should be given to it by consulting the relevant Christian representative organs before any external text is inserted into the Bibles," said the society. It added that it was "alarmed" by the notification and is now urging the ministry to stop stamping the Bibles with such wordings. An urgent letter was also faxed to the Home Ministry secretary-general Mahmood Adam urging for a negotiation of the terms of the Bibles' release that will not "mencerobohi maruah (violate the dignity) of the holy books". Putrajaya had decided to release the Bibles from impoundment yesterday, claiming that it is upholding an 1982 Internal Security Act gazette allowing the import of Malay-language Bibles.

It also claimed that the decision was made upon advice by the attorney-general, who said the Bibles would not impact the government's appeal against the ruling on the use of the word 'Allah' by Catholic publication The Herald.