Indigenous Iban people in Sarawak today urged the government to lift a recent ban o­n the Christian Bible published in their mother tongue, the official Bernama news agency said.

Iban parishioners in the state have demanded that the home ministry reverse the decision o­n the Iban-language Bible -- "Bup Kudus."

Benedict Nawas, 35, who attends Iban services at a local church, said the ban had caused confusion and anxiety among the congregation.

"While educated Iban-speaking Christians can refer to English versions of the Bible, rural parishioners depend o­n their mother tongue to understand the scriptures since most of them are illiterate," he said.

Bup Kudus, the complete bible with the Old and New Testaments in the Iban language, has been widely used by churches in Sarawak since its first edition in 1988 and was among 35 books banned by the ministry last week, Bernama said.

Shocked and dismayed

Peter Chung, archbishop of Kuching, the capital of Sarawak state, said the authorities have not said why the Iban language bible was banned.

"We have not received any explanation," he said.

Another churchgoer, Norma Entimok, 33, also expressed unhappiness over the ban because she was concerned that many in the Christian community might be misled due to the lack of reliable religious material in the Iban language.

Ibans were previously known as the headhunters of Borneo island.

Bernama

said Iban churches of various Christian denominations throughout Sarawak could not conduct church services without the Iban-language Bible following the ban.

The Association of Churches in Sarawak said in a joint statement that local Christians did not understand why the Bible was banned.

"The member churches are shocked and dismayed to read that Bup Kudus is among the 35 books banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs," it said. AFP