Sabah church calls for action against Ibrahim Ali

IBRAHIM ALI

A Sabah church is pressing for action against Datuk Ibrahim Ali, after it was encouraged by the state assembly speaker’s statement against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's support of the Perkasa chief’s Bible-burning call.

Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) Sabah president Reverend Datuk Jerry Dusing said the failure of Attorney-General (A-G)Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail and de facto law minister Nancy Shukri to act against Ibrahim would only embolden such extremists.

"The failure of the A-G and the law minister to act against religious bigotry and extremism can only serve to embolden such extremists to become more incendiary in their posture against non-Muslims," Dusing said in a statement.

He said even Muslim leaders in the government rejected such extremism, citing Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak.

Salleh, in a comment on the former prime minister's support of Ibrahim's bible-burning call, said telling Malaysians that it is right for Ibrahim to call for the burning of the Bible was not something Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak would endorse.

Dr Mahathir said on Wednesday that it was not an issue calling for the Bible to be burned as long as there were good intentions.

Dusing said he was encouraged by Salleh’s statement.

“We are indeed very encouraged that the Sabah Speaker pointed out that even if  Christians do not protest such statements, Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak will still feel uncomfortable with something like that.

He said Dr Mahathir should speak with a voice of moderation and not of extremism in defending Ibrahim.

He added that Putrajaya must not be seen to be condoning and defending the supremacy of racism and religious bigotry.

In January last year, Ibrahim urged Muslims to seize and burn copies of Bibles which contained the term “Allah” or other religious Arabic words, believing it was the only way to stop non-Muslims from being insensitive to the country’s majority.

Dusing said that although many people, including a law professor, were charged with sedition over the last few months, Ibrahim was spared.

“There are limits to what one can say against another religion.

"Asking for the Holy Scriptures of another religion to be burned violates the most basic of human decency.

"After 51 years of the formation of Malaysia, it is evident to Malaysians that racial and religious polarisation has reached an alarming level."

He added that the formation of Malaysia was based on the understanding that the nation would be multi-cultural and multi-religious, and that religious extremism must not be tolerated and instead be nipped in the bud.

He said it was time for Gani and Nancy to uphold the constitution as the supreme law of the land, so that everyone, regardless of race or religion, is accorded equal protection under the law.

On Monday, the Attorney-General's Chambers said in a statement that Ibrahim's call for bibles to be burned must be viewed in its entire context.

"When studied in its entire context, Datuk Ibrahim's statement is not categorised as having seditious tendencies.

"It was clear Datuk Ibrahim Ali had no intention to create religious tension, but was only defending the purity of Islam."