COMMENT Unperturbed by the challenges faced by the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) over three decades since its inception in 1984, its newly-minted president, Bishop Ng Moon Hing, said faithfulness and guidance from God has sustained BSM through thick and thin.

In fact, Ng said, the BSM has also seen a higher level of commitment and a more intense experience of God’s grace after each trial and challenge.

“We are currently undergoing a restructuring exercise to cater for the increasing needs of the churches,” he added. “The setbacks which we have faced are temporary and will serve only to galvanise us to work with greater fervour and zeal.”

Ng ( left ) was speaking at the celebration of BSM’s 30th anniversary last night, where some 400 church leaders and supporters from both East and peninsular Malaysia were invited.

Also present at the function were Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Joseph Kurup, DAP’s Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and delegates from other Bible societies in the region.

No challenge too great

Against the backdrop of numerous accusations hurled against the society for alleged proselytisation of Muslims, which led to the raid on the its premises in January this year, the main focus of BSM has always been to provide the Church what it needs.

The Bible in the Ibran language, for example, is meant for the Iban-speaking Christian community in East Malaysia. Written in the native Iban language, no Muslim in peninsular Malaysia would be able to read the Iban Bible.

So, what more about the aqidah (belief) of Muslims being weakened as a result of the Iban Bible using the term ‘Allah’ for God in its text?

The translation was based on the first Dutch-Malay dictionary by AC Ruyl, Justus Heurnius and Caspar Wiltens in 1650, which recorded Allah as the translation of the Dutch word "Godt".

For the past 360 years, the term Allah has been used reverently to refer to God by the majority natives who profess Christianity in the Malay Archipelago, which includes Peninsular Malaysia, Indonesia and the Borneo states.

On the other hand, the Malay Alkitab was meant for the younger generation of Malay-speaking Christians, who can only read and understand the national language.

“The profiling of Christians as being English-speaking is therefore a major flaw in the assumptions made by politicians from certain quarters,” said a church leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The raid on the BSM and the accusations hurled against it ares unjustified, and it has raised an ire among the Christian community, both in Peninsular and East Malaysia. Worldwide, there is also a lot of concern.”

Historic raid

On Jan 4 this year, the BSM office in Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya, was raided by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) which comes under the purview of the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais), which reports to the Sultan of Selangor as the head of Islam in the state.

Mais chairperson Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa has since claimed responsibility for the raid. On Monday, Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali said that he has raised the matter with the sultan, with the hope that the prolonged issue will finally be resolved.

“I have brought this matter to the sultan... the Alkitab does not belong to the Muslims. They belong to the Christians, whom we must respect,” Azmin was quoted by a portal, during his speech in Petaling Jaya recently.

“Islam has never asked its followers to disrupt the harmony of other faiths. It is our duty to respect the practise of the other religions in the country. This is a multi-religious society.

“This is not Saudi Arabia or Sudan. This is Malaysia. This is Selangor. This is why we are working on a formula, and I am confident that if they understand the true Islam, then the Bible must be returned to the Christians,” Azmin said.

Meanwhile, hopeful that the seized copies of the Bible will be returned soon, BSM’s general secretary, Rev Simon Wong ( left ), hoped that the sultan will give his full consent for this.

“We do not set any deadlines,” Wong said, “but, we hope with His Royal Highness’ goodwill, the Bibles will be returned, soon.”

Wong is grateful for the hard work put in by many parties, over the past 11 months, to get Jais to return the 321 copies of the Malay and Iban language Bible that it had seized during the raid in January.

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.