The police questioning of Father Cyril Mannayagam and the seizure of 30 copies of a hymn book with the word Allah which were meant for his Orang Asli parishioners is in violation of the freedom of religion guaranteed by the federal constitution as well as the 10 point solution endorsed by the Cabinet in 2011.
In an article titled “The ‘Allah’/Bible issue, 10-point solution is key to managing the polarity”” which appeared in The Star on Feb 24 this year, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Idris Jala has penned his thoughts on the “Allah”/Bible issue and the validity of the 10-point solution.
On the question of how can the 10 point solution co exist with the Islamic State Enactments, he has written the following:-
“In accordance with Federal Constitution Article 11.4, Islamic state laws were enacted to control and prohibit the propagation of non-Islamic faiths to Muslims. In Selangor, Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Amongst Muslims) Enactment of 1988 is a law passed by the Legislative Assembly of Selangor to control and restrict the propagation of non-Islamic religious doctrines and beliefs amongst persons professing Islam. The act of “propagation” is the crux of the matter. While the 10-point solution allows Christians and churches to use the Alkitab, which contains some of the 34 prohibited words, the 10-point solution does not condone the act of “propagation” of non-Muslim faiths to Muslims. That is an offence under the State Islamic enactments.
As mentioned earlier, the 10-point solution requires the Alkitab in Peninsular Malaysia to have on the front page the cross sign and the words “Christian Publication”. This is a pragmatic solution. This is akin to the practice of putting “non-halal” warnings on food items to inform Muslims to refrain from taking them. Instead of banning altogether non-halal food and drinks in the country, this practice allows non-Muslims to consume non-halal food and drinks and at the same time, making it clear to Muslims not to take them.
To reiterate, the 10-point solution does not condone non-Muslims propagating non-Islamic faiths to Muslims. In other words, the Alkitab is allowed on a conditional basis i.e. for use by Christians, their Churches and congregations and non-Muslims. However, if anyone uses the Alkitab or uses any of the prohibited words to propagate non-Islamic faiths to Muslims, then he will contravene the relevant Islamic laws. Clearly, it is not an offence for non-Muslims to sing the Selangor State Anthem which has the word “Allah” in the lyrics because merely singing or uttering the words in the anthem does not constitute “propagation”. Similarly, although the word “Haji” is one of the prohibited words, a non-Muslim who is addressing a Muslim with the Haji title is not committing an offence.
Another example: although the word “injil” is prohibited, the Federal Government and the Selangor State Government have not prohibited my church, which is one of the fastest growing churches in Kuala Lumpur, from calling our church SIBKL or “Sidang Injil Borneo KL”. In fact, in our church, we often pray for our Prime Minister and the leaders of our nation so that God will bless them and grant them the wisdom to lead our nation.
In summary, the 10-point solution permits the Alkitab, conditionally in Peninsular Malaysia but unconditionally in Sabah and Sarawak. It does not condone the propagation of non-Muslim faiths to Muslims, whether or not they use any of these prohibited words in the act of “propagation”. The Islamic State enactments and the 10-point solution are consistent on the propagation of non-Islamic faiths to Muslims. Hence, I am of the view that the 10-point solution can co-exist with the Islamic State Enactments, although I am aware that there are people who think this co-existence is not perfect.”
So it is clear that the police actions on December 5 were in violation of the Cabinet’s 10 point solution as the hymn books were not for use for propagation to Muslims, but for the use of the orang Ali Christians.
Although Idris has placed upfront a caveat that the views expressed in his column were his own in his personal capacity, the fact remains that he was the key person responsible for proposing the 10 point solution.
Idris and the Cabinet must denounce the police’s action and order the immediate return of the books to Father Cyril. The Cabinet must also ensure that its 10 point solution is complied with by all federal and state agencies.