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Perak rivals lay claim to holier-than-thou status

The 'MB vs MB' feud in Perak is connecting the dots between politics and religion, with each party blaming the other for stoking religious tension over the use of 'Allah' by non-Muslims.

Zambry Abdul Kadir of Barisan Nasional (BN) and Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin of Pakatan Rakyat traded barbs, following arson attacks on three institutions in Taiping on Sunday morning.

Molotov cocktails were thrown into the compound of St Louis Church, the guardhouse of the SMK Convent Taiping and All Saints Church, although the first two failed to ignite.

dr zambry abd kadir perak new cm bn 050209 Zambry ( right ), after visiting St Louis Church yesterday, warned opposition politicians and the media not to harp on racial or religious issues as this would fan the flames of unrest.

"We are monitoring speeches in their ceramah (talks). These irresponsible people have no regard for the safety of citizens," he said angrily, also warning the media not to play up such speeches.

Asked if the attacks on the three places could be isolated incidents, Zambry said he did not think so.

There maybe more attacks, he said, so people must stand united to fight religious hatred among a few who are bent on tarnishing Malaysia's image.

Political mileage?

In the evening, Nizar visited the three premises and offered his sympathies to those affected.

Reacting to Zambry's statement, Nizar ( left )put the blame on Umno and the BN, alleging that they are the ones who have created animosity, suspicion and fear among the people.

nizar interview parliament 261009 "We (in PAS) are not as narrow-minded as Umno to harp on religious issues for political mileage. Pakatan's aim is to unite all the races as one Malaysian race. Tell him (Zambry) to show us proof that we have harped on religion and racial issues in our ceramah .

"Nowhere in the holy Quran does it say that non-Muslims cannot use the word 'Allah'. All the Abrahamic faiths have used the word for a very long time. So why is the issue being played out for political mileage suddenly?

"...The problem is that, in Malaysia, Islam and the Malays are equated as one. If Malays get emotionally charged over any issue concerning Islam, it is the religion that will suffer in the end, as the wrong signals will be sent out to the world."

Nizar noted that the Quran accords importance to other religions.

Chapter 22, verse 40 states: 'Had Allah not repelled some men by the might of others, the monasteries and churches, the synagogues and mosques in which Allah's name is frequently remembered, would have been utterly destroyed'.

In turn, he told Umno not to harp on racial sentiments, warning that this would cause public opinion to turn further against the party in the next General Election.

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