Thursday, January 02, 2014

Should JAIS(Selangor Islamic Department) have jurisdiction over non-Muslims?

The police arrested and then released on police bail  2 persons from the Bible Society of Malaysia(BSM), who are Christians, and I am wondering why they are being asked to go to the Selangor Islamic Department(JAIS) on 10/1/2014. It should be the police that should be conducting the investigations...not JAIS. 

I do not think that the State Islamic Department should have any powers over non-Muslims in Malaysia. They should have no power of arrest, and certainly no power to compel any non-Muslim in Malaysia to attend (or assist) in any investigations - and certainly no power to prosecute non-Muslims.


Bible Society duo freed on bail after 90mins


Bible Society Malaysia (BSM) chairperson Lee Min Choon and his office manager Sinclair Wong were both released on bail at the Damansara police station today after spending 90 minutes at the station following the seizure of Malay Bible texts from their Damansara office.

Police have told the duo that they would need to report to the Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) on Jan 10 to further assist in investigations, though it remains unclear whether court charges will be brought on them for possessing the Bibles.

They were bailed by the society’s secretary-general Simon Wong, and Lee later said that he was “surprised” at the raid given it was inconsistent with the 10-point solution that the government came up with for Christians in 2011.

Lee and Sinclair are being investigated under the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988, which prohibits non-Muslims from using the word ‘Allah’. - Malaysiakini, 2/1/2014, Bible Society duo freed on bail after 90mins

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