BUKIT INDAH, 15 Nov: The return of Malay and Iban language Bibles to the Christian community yesterday was not a simple task.
The Chief Minister, Mohamed Azmin Ali, admitted that it was a difficult decision to make.
However, he said that the matter was finally resolved amicably with the understanding achieved by the stakeholders, including the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS), the Bible Society of Malaysia and the Christian community.
“I think that we all need to appreciate that the process of returning the Bibles went through a series of multi-party discussions. After obtaining the Sultan of Selangor’s consent, we decided to return the Bibles.
“It was not an easy task, but we must dare to make tough decisions,” he said.
He was met after officiating the Damai Residency PKNS Selangorku Dream Apartment Buyers’ Celebration in Section 3 Tambahan, Bandar Baru Bangi, today.
The Bibles which were confiscated by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) early this year were returned to the Christian community in Sarawak through the Sarawak Gerejadi Association during an official ceremony at the Selangor Palace yesterday morning.
MAIS explained that handing over the Bibles to the Sarawak Christians and not a society on the Peninsula is in line with the strict requirements in Selangor where the reading material cannot be distributed in the state, especially among the Muslims.
Since becoming the Chief Minister, Mohamed Azmin informed that he will refer to the Sultan of Selangor to seek consent in trying to solve the issue.
He also held discussions to obtain the views of JAIS and MAIS do that it is handled harmoniously and amicably.
The returning of the Bibles received attention since yesterday and many leaders praised the actions and decisions of Mohamed Azmin in addressing the issue.
NS
