The police report against Selangor state assembly speaker Hannah Yeoh's book is a sign of the growing religious intolerance in the country, a Sabah DAP Orang Asal politician said.

"The action by an academican attacking Hannah Yeoh through his interpetation of the book titled 'Becoming Hannah' is very disturbing for Sabahans.

"This shows the degradation of secularism that was guaranteed during the formation of Malaysia.

"It is also a worrying trend in religious tolerance in multicultural Malaysian society under Najib's administration," DAP’s Orang Asal consultative council vice-chairperson Adrian Lasimbang, who is also Sabah DAP’s political education director, said in a statement today.

"As an Orang Asal Christian, we want to remind our government that during the formation of the federation, we were given a special guarantee for freedom of religion as enshrined in the Batu Sumpah based on our adat.

"Everyone in the federation is supposed to be able to practise their religion without any intimidation," said Lasimbang.

"We are deeply saddened by such narrow minded interpretation of the constitution from a supposedly educationist and academician.

"Is this what they teach our children in universities these days?" he asked.

Yesterday, Universiti Utara Malaysia lecturer Kamarul Zaman Yusoff lodged a police report against Yeoh for allegedly driving a "Christian agenda", citing her book published in January 2015, which Yeoh has explained is about her personal political journey.

"I was shocked to find that this book contained parables and excerpts from the Bible.

"I believe this book is an attempt to persuade, influence or incite non-Christians, including Muslims, to embrace Christianity or become inclined towards Christianity," Kamarul said in his police report.

Book 'not about Christianity'

Lasimbang said Yeoh's book had nothing to do with spreading Christianity.

"There are many biographical books about outstanding leaders that talk about how the religion of their choice has guided them in their life's journey.

"There is no element of Christianisation in the book, as it only talks about how Hannah was guided by her religion to achieve great heights.

"I just don't understand why Kamarul just picked up one book, and made such an interpretation […], as if that was the first book he had ever read.

"His interpretation that the book's intention is proselytising Muslims is insulting our intelligence, as if we don't know the constitution. And it is made in bad faith against Christians of this country," he said.

Lasimbang reminded Kamarul Sabah, a Christian majority state, had agreed to form Malaysia with Sarawak and Malaya based on the principle of secularism.

"Sabah would never be agreeable to form the Federation of Malaysia if it was not a secular state.

"We wish to remind fellow Malaysians to uphold these founding blocks of our nation.

"Moral values are important for good governance in this country, and the Christian values, like those of other religions, is important for guiding a fair and just society."

'Unfit to teach young minds'

Meanwhile, Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen condemned Kamarul's targeting of Yeoh as an act of "religious bigotry".

"If Kamarul’s reason for lodging the police report can constitute a ground for investigation and prosecution, then all books containing teaching of any religion other than Islam will be made equally culpable.

"That will spell the death of freedom of religion in Malaysia," he said in a statement today.

He added that Kamarul was unfit to be a university lecturer.

"Not only is his bigotry act a shame to a multi-racial country of ours, but he, as a lecturer, will influence the minds of the younger generation to be more intolerant towards other religion," he said.

Chong said instead of Yeoh, the police should instead probe Kamarul.

In a separate staement, DAP vice chairperson Teresa Kok also raised concerns about Kamarul's role as a lecturer.

"Being a university lecturer, Kamarul’s narrow and extreme way of looking at Yeoh’s book makes one wonder if he is suitable to continue to be an educationist," she said.

She defended Yeoh and questioned if the 2014 book being made into the issue now was an attempt to play up race and religion ahead of the general election.

"Yeoh’s autobiography is an account of her life where she shared how her God has played a role in her life’s journey. It has no political or religious agenda.

"How could Kamarul make the ridiculous, baseless and unbelievable allegation that her book is actually propagating non-Islamic religion to the Muslims?" she said.