Introduction by Editor, CPI

1Malaysia, 1copyright made the world news this week with wire agencies picking up the story that our authorities have seized Bibles by the truckloads. The word ‘Allah’ (contained in Bibles printed in the Malay language) is the sole proprietary right of Islam, according to the Malaysian government.

The Najib administration’s Top 5 PR firm Apco (rumoured to have been paid RM20 million) might just come in handy to rehabilitate the dented image of Malaysia, especially when a broadcaster with the global reach of CNN tagged this development ‘Bibles seized as Malaysia minorities fear fundamentalism’ – a sobering headline indeed.

Some international reports mentioned 15,000 copies in all were confiscated, others said 20,000 copies. As taxpayers indirectly funding Apco, we’d expect this renowned image shaping company to staunch the bad publicity, just in case further sensational coverage has journalists expanding the numbers to an even more damaging 25,000 or 50,000 copies.

But we can be somewhat reassured given that Apco is a ‘no play-play’ proposition, having represented global cigarette producers Philip Morris no less. Now the ‘damage control’ expertise of an outfit that strategises to make cancerous cigarette smoke smell good is surely not something to be scoffed at.

Known as heavyweight lifters, Apco not only marketed the message to negate the valid health concern which the tobacco industry poses, they are also influential Washington lobbyists. So let’s see how Najib’s expensive PR consultants, with their offices in the USA, deal with this one.

Sole ownership of God

On another note, there was a comment by Malaysiakini reader Md Imraz Muhammed Ikhbal Friday on this seizure of Bibles which was illuminating. He posted: “I really wonder in which other Holy Book did God stipulate that Allah is owned by the Muslims? Of certainty, such provision is nowhere traceable in the Holy Quran.???

Md Imraz’s line of considerate reasoning provides a refreshing departure from the confrontational and sanctimonious stance of people who are bestowed the monikers televengalist/motivational ‘ustaz’ although their PhDs are not in theology, such as Dr Hasan Ali, and Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah whose academic qualification is in political science-Umno thesis.

Showing how inter-faith dialogue can be conducted with civility and in the spirit of accommodation, Md Imraz comments that since Muslims assert that Allah is the sole creator of all things living, then logically all Christians are living creations of Allah too. Thus, he wonders why Muslims are annoyed by others using the same word in their worship.

Md Imraz adds: “Muslims also expect others to acknowledge and respect their religious followings. The chauvinistic ones even impose their religious standards down the throats others. But yet, when people of different religious faith acknowledge their one true God and seek to worship Him by His name, Muslims immediately claim exclusivity over the word.???

CNN: ‘Minorities fear fundamentalism’

Two salient points which can be gleaned, and in fact, ought to be highlighted from CNN reporter Saeed Ahmed’s take on issue are:

• Rulings by the Islamic, or sharia, courts are directed toward the country’s Muslim, who make up 60 percent of the population. But they worry non-Muslims who see them as Islamism seeping into the moderate nation’s fabric.
• The country has been mired in inter-faith disputes as well in recent months. In those cases, many non-Muslims complain that the civil courts generally cede control to Islamic courts.

Excerpt: “The seizures have fed fears among minority groups, which see signs of encroaching Islamic fundamentalism in the predominantly Muslim but multi-racial country.???

Saeed then quoted Rev. Hermen Shastri, general-secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia on Thursday saying that “There is a growing sense of Islamic assertion, yes???.

To read more of the article, which incidentally, CNN has “recommended??? to its audience, click here.