Minister: No 'Christians enemies of Islam' sermon text
Of late, the relationship between the government and Christians have been on rocky ground following a serious of contentious issues.
Among this being the legal dispute over the use of the Arabic term 'Allah' in Malay-language Bible, which saw several churches being firebombed.
Of late, the relationship between the government and Christians have been on rocky ground following a serious of contentious issues.
Among this being the legal dispute over the use of the Arabic term Allah in Malay-language bibles, which saw several churches being fire-bombed .
In the latest development, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom (
left
) denied that the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) had prepared a text for Friday sermons urging Muslims to regard Christians as foes.
Responding to a question, the minister, who is in charge of Islamic affairs, told the Dewan Rakyat today that texts for Friday sermons were conceived with care and in respect for the harmony shared between people of different faiths in Malaysia.
"Islam has never made enemies with any other faiths, we (Muslims) are aware of what is stated in the federal constitution that Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, but others are free to practice different faiths," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .
Jamil Khir was responding to a question posed by Ngeh Koo Ham (DAP-Beruas).
The opposition lawmaker had based his question on a news report that stated that Jakim had issued a text for sermons on Aug 30 which classified Christians as enemies of Islam.
On another matter, Jamil Khir said other sects which were still within the ambit of the Ahli Sunnah Wal-Jamaah school of thought would be allowed as long as it was not extreme in nature and led to the division of Muslims.
He added that different sects such as Salafiyyah, Asha'irah and Maturidayyah had been well-managed by the government through dialogues and academic discourses.
The minister was responding to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, who is the MP for Marang.
Hadi had wanted to know the steps taken by Jakim to educate the Muslim community with regard to this issue.
Related stories
Gov't intends to fund more movies like Tanda Putera
Ahmad Maslan: Richest 40pct enjoy 80pct of subsidies
Second supplementary bill in three months tabled
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.