Forty-five non-governmental organisations (NGOs) today sent a memorandum to the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin

Idris Shah, expressing their full support for the Selangor Islamic Religious Department's (Jais) raid on a church in In Petaling Jaya on Aug 3.

A representative of the NGOs, Friends of Universiti Malaya Medical Centre chairman Dr Dzulkhaini Husain, said the memorandum was handed over to the sultan's private secretary Mohamad Munir Bani at Istana Bukit Kayangan, Shah Alam, this morning.

He said the five-page memorandum was in defence of Islam's sovereignty in relation to the action by Jais' enforcement officers in checking on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC).

"We have met with Jais' representatives and after getting the details and explanation from them, we fully support Jais' action in protecting Islam's position (in this country)," he told a news conference at Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque, Shah Alam, today.

He said there were no breaking of doors or barging into the church hall as claimed, instead the checks were conducted civilly and they found proof of violations against the Non-Islamic Religion Enactment (Control of Propagation Amongst Muslims) 1988.

Executive officer and Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia activist, Mohd Mustaffa Hamzah, said the association regretted the reports of two news portals which portrayed Jais as using force against the church.

News portals' reports 'unethical'

He said the news reports were unethical as they were based on sources that were not valid.

"We also regret the action of the Selangor menteri besar (Abdul Khalid Ibrahim) of not giving due respect to the Sultan in his reaction to the Jais' raid," he added.

Meanwhile, Yayasan Pengaman Malaysia (Pengaman) is prepared to be mediator in talks between Jais and DUMC to resolve the issue.

Its chairperson Shamsuri Arshat said the issue was sensitive and needed to be handled carefully, and should not be exploited by any quarters, particularly political parties.

"A formula must be quickly sought to resolve the issue without the parties involved provoking each other. Otherwise, the issue could develop into a conflict that will be difficult to resolve," he said in a statement.

Shamsuri said Pengaman felt this was not the time for pointing fingers as to who was right or wrong because what was more important was to amicably resolve the issue.

He said Pengaman wished to meet Jais and the church representatives to know the facts of the matter and to negotiate a peace formula.

- Bernama

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