The Bar Council today called for the immediate withdrawal of the ban o­n the Iban-language Bible Bup Kudus saying that "it strikes at the very heart of the way we live as Malaysians".

Its chairperson Haji Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari said in a statement that the purported basis of the ban - the Bup Kudus has allegedly breached the guidelines for non-Islamic religious books - was not o­nly vague but also ominous.

It is also perplexing since the Bup Kudus has been used by the Ibans in Sarawak for religious purposes for the past 15 years, he said.

"The ban will impede, if not detract from, genuine nation-building efforts. It will further impact o­n Malaysia's standing as an open, progressive, free and tolerant society, matter we cannot allow in the current troubling times.

Palpable reality

"Freedom of religion in Malaysia must not be something to which o­nly lip service is paid. It must constantly and consistently be translated into a palpable reality to which every individual can relate in his or her everyday life," the Bar chief added.

Yesterday, the Association of Churches in Sarawak issued a statement saying that Christians in the state could not understand why the book had been banned.

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

It added that the ban had caused "confusion, fear, anxiety and alarm among the Christian community in Sarawak."