The government should lift its ban o­n 13 Christian books as well other Muslim publications in order to be consistent with the principle of natural justice, DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) said today.

Its assistant publicity secretary Ashvin Raj said although Acting Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should be commended for lifting the ban imposed o­n the Iban bible Bup Kudus , his statement prior to that was disappointing.

Abdullah who is also home minister had said the ban would be rescinded o­nly if the government was satisfied with the arguments put forward by the Iban community in appealing against it.

"What Abdullah should have done is to direct the lifting of the ban immediately, not just o­n the Bup Kudus but also o­n the other 13 Christian publications in Malay due to the lack of natural justice and a blatant disregard of the right of Christians to practise their faith freely as provided in the Federal Constitution," he said in a press statement.

Universal property

He claimed that the government had acted in an insensitive manner by classifying the Christian holy book as an "undesirable publication prejudicial to public order.

Bup Kudus

was banned for using the word 'Allah Taala' for God which the government felt was more related to Islam.

This evoked howls of disapproval from the Christian community and subsequently a meeting was held between church leaders and Abdullah. The ban was later lifted.

According to Ashvin, the other 13 publications banned, which were either in Malay or Bahasa Indonesia, also used the word Allah.

"It is simply wrong for any specific religion to claim monopoly over certain words. Terminology or language does not belong to any particular religion. It is universal property.

"The word that cause concern is Allah. It's the word Muslims use for God, but the Arabic word pre-dated Islam and is also used by Christian Arabs when referring to God," he added.

Legal loophole

Ashvin said although the constitution allowed the freedom of religion, a clause which stated that laws "may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam" provided authorities with a loophole.

He said this provision made it easier for authorities to identify publications which they deemed would confuse Muslims.

"If the government is worried that Muslims may be confused, it is the government's responsibility to address the problem through educational programmes aimed at Muslims and not take the easy way out by banning books based o­n words used.

"It should not become typical of the Malaysian mentality, that if you can't win, then ban them," he added.

Asvin said in a multi-religious society like Malaysia, it is important for the government to go through the process of natural justice - the right to be heard.

He added that the authorities should consult and dialogue with the respective religious representatives concerned before making any prohibitive decision over questionable materials.

"It is hoped that such an insensitive decision by the Home Ministry should not be repeated in future," he said.