The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) is willing to engage with Perkasa, if the Malay rights pressure group is open to the latter’s invitation.

NONE MCCBCHST president Rev Dr Thomas Philips ( left ) said the council is willing to engage with Muslims and any other group that is open to it to dialogue and share concerns over burning issues.

Philips said the council’s think-tank has also invited Muslims to attend its meetings and activities.

“We have made it clear that we are willing to engage with anyone... I have said that Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali, who recently said he was prepared to wage a crusade against Christians, should engage with Christians, he told a press conference in Penang today.

“Only with face-to-face engagements can we overcome or remove any fears we have of one another,” he added.

Philips was responding to a question on whether the council was planning to engage with Muslims in its activities and programmes.

ibrahim ali perkasa ceramah in gombak 1 Ibrahim ( left ), who uttered the challenge in a 1Malaysia event last Saturday, has now softened his stance, saying by using the term 'jihad', he was not referring to ‘killing Christians’ but challenging them with words and writings.

The Pasir Mas MP’s outburst was driven by a much-refuted and condemned May 7 report on the front page of Umno-owned Malay language daily, Utusan Malaysia .

The daily said the DAP was colluding with a group of pastors in Penang to change the official religion of the federation to Christianity and install a Christian prime minister.

Utusan

, which was recently given a reprimand by the Home Ministry, based its report on unsubstantiated postings on two pro-Umno blogs.

Today, Philips and 12 other representatives of the council paid a courtesy call on Penang to meet Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

NONE The group met state government representatives in Komtar to congratulate Lim on setting up a non-Muslim religious affairs portfolio earlier this year.

Other than Penang, Perak has also established as similar council to represent the voices of non-Muslims, as a complementary effort to the Muslim religious affairs portfolio already in existence all peninsula states.

‘Set up Non-Muslim Affairs Council in every state’

Meanwhile, Philips said the council hoped that every state would follow the footsteps of Penang and Perak in setting up non-Muslim affairs portfolios.

He said MCCBCHST was in Penang to share its views with the state on several issues concerning non-Muslims, and that the goup was happy to hear the state’s stand on current issues.

NONE “We are responsible for our actions. We have already made our stand (in the Utusan case) and we will uphold our stand,” he said.

“As for the non-Muslim religious affairs portfolio, we want to be part of this process as it is a good cause (that has been initiated by the Penang government,” he added.

Lim said the group was concerned over the false report highlighted by Utusan, which caused a ruckus around the country.

He said the report was ‘completely untrue’ and that Christians have pledged their support for the federal constitution.

Action should be taken against Utusan, Lim added, for inciting hatred among Malaysians, and causing a threat to peace and harmony.

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