Daud assures Christians Bibles will not be seized in the state, calls on politicians not to use the issue to score political points
Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman
KUCHING: The Sarawak government will not seize Christians Holy Bibles, assured Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Islamic Affairs) Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman yesterday.
“I can assure you that the government will not seize Bibles in the state because we really appreciate the spirit of tolerance.
“Christians in the state have been using Bibles for more than a century, and the government has never seized them,” he said when contacted.
Daud was asked to comment on an incident in Damansara, Petaling Jaya, where Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) personnel and the police seized 350 Bibles from the premises of the Bible Society of Malaysia.
The seized materials comprised 310 copies of Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia, or Al-Kitab, 20 copies in the Iban Language (also known as Bup Kudus), and 20 copies of Luke’s Gospel in Bahasa Malaysia.
Daud hoped Christians in the state would not be influenced by what was happening in Peninsular Malaysia.
He urged the people of various races and religions to stay away from any activities that could destroy racial harmony and religious tolerance.
At the same time, he also called on the Opposition not to stir the issue for political mileage.
“We don’t want what is happening there (Peninsular Malaysia) to spread to the state. What is happening there (Bibles seizure) does not involve the state (Sarawak) government.”