Thankful for support over Allah issue

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Leaders of Gempuru Besai Kristian Jaku Iban Malaysia holding copies of the ‘Bup Kudus’.

KUCHING: As tension between Muslims and Christians in Malaysia continues to mount over the use of the word ‘Allah, Gempuru Besai Kristian Jaku Iban Malaysia (GBKJIM) is thankful to those who showed their support and solidarity during this crucial time.

GBKJIM chairman Pastor Greman Ujang Slat thanked social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir who turned up at the Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Klang, Selangor last Sunday alongside members from non-governmental organisation (NGO) and Sisters in Islam (SIS) to express solidarity with the Christians.

“We thank God for fair-minded Muslims like former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s daughter Datin Paduka Marina and her friends who came out courageously to stand alongside our children and brethren in the faith at the church,” he said in a press statement.

“Our heart and prayers go out to Reverend Father Lawrence Andrew, and we stand firmly with him and all fellow Christian priests and pastors in choosing to obey God rather than men in such times as these.”

Greman pointed out that GBKJIM, which represented some 6,000 Iban-speaking congregations throughout Sarawak, was disturbed and disappointed by the recent Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) raid of the Bible Society of Malaysia (MBS) office and the seizure of more than 300 Bibles.

“The Jais raid is a clear breach of the promises contained in the 10-Point Federal Cabinet Agreement and the country’s Constitutional Guarantee of Religious Freedom. It also nullifies the prime minister’s verbal assurance that the Court of Appeal decision, dated Oct 14, 2013, would not apply to Christians from East Malaysia,” he emphasised.

With MBS being the exclusive holder of the rights to import and print the ‘Alkitab Berita Biak’ (Bahasa Melayu language Bible) and the ‘Bup Kudus’ (Iban language Bible), the organisation is the main source of Bibles to the community in Sarawak who are largely Bahasa Melayu and Iban-speaking.

“If one copy had been taken, it would have been understood that it was for inspection. But seizing multiple copies is a clear attempt to restrict the Iban-speaking Christians from accessing the Bible in our own language.”

“We urge the Federal Cabinet to immediately order the release of these Bibles, and to give us an assurance that Iban-language Bibles and other Christian teaching materials in the Iban language remain free of any interference from any agencies of state. This is the guarantee promised to our fore fathers at the inception of Malaysia,” he remarked.

Despite the ongoing situation, Greman said GBKJIM remained adamant in addressing their Almighty God as ‘Allah Taala’.

“We shall continue to address our Creator God, maker of heaven and earth and all that is in it, as Allah Taala because we have done so for hundreds of years and there is no other form used by us…”

Iban-speaking Christians to correctly describe the God of the Bible.”