Selangor govt supports Sultan's decree on "Allah" issue

The Selangor government has finally come out in support of the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah's decree that barred non-Muslims in state from using the word "Allah".

Asserting that it upholds the decree, State Islamic Affairs, Agriculture Modernisation and Rural Development Committee chairman Sallehen Mukhyi said, however, it had yet to decide the course of action against Catholic churches in the state for defying the ban.

"There was no discussion on the matter (use of word "Allah" by Catholic churches in Selangor), but merely on Tuanku's decree over the use of the word 'Allah'," he told reporters after meeting Catholic weekly The Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew here, Tuesday.

On Dec 27, Andrew said Catholic churches in Selangor would continue to use the word "Allah" in their weekend services which are primarily attended by Sabah and Sarawak folks despite the Selangor Islamic Religious Department's (Jais) ban on its use by non-Muslims.

The Sultan, who is the head of Islam in Selangor, renewed his decree in November last year after a discussion with the Selangor Royal Council, where it was decided that Selangor citizens should abide by the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988, which is enforceable regardless of one's religion.

On whether Andrew needs to apologise over his controversial statement, Sallehen said, "He (Andrew) need not apologise. Just let the past, just be the past. What is most important, let us move on.

"In our discussion today, I just wanted to express respect, stressed that religious issues ought to be resolved harmoniously, not through violence and arrogance," he said while proposing the setting up of a unity consultative council by the state government.

Citing the need for the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) adopted by Jais to be fine-tuned, he said: "Jais should inform me of its operations and actions like the recent raid on the Bible Society of Malaysia as I am responsible on religious affairs in the state. I wasn't informed about it.

"I am not denying that Jais' action was right. It had carried out its duty in accordance with the SOP and existing enactment, but certain things had to be fine-tuned and it must keep me informed of its actions," he added.

Last Thursday, Jais enforcement officers seized 350 copies of Christian publications in Bahasa Malaysia and Iban from the premises of the Bible Society of Malaysia in Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya, causing a hue and cry from certain quarters.

Meanwhile, Andrew reiterated that he would not heed calls from several non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including Selangor Umno and Malay rights group Perkasa, for him to apologise over his statement.

"I abide by the religious freedom policy as enshrined in Article 11 (3) (A) of the Federal Constitution which stipulates that every religious group has the right to manage its religious affairs without intervention from other religious groups," he said.