Malaysian Government Confiscates Bibles
12 November 2009
In Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country, the government confiscated 10,000 Bibles that contain the word Allah to refer to God, claiming that this word is Islamic and its use in Bibles will offend. The Roman Catholic Church is appealing the action in court, claiming the government infringed upon the religious freedom of the minority Christian population in the country. The Church argues that although Allah is an Arabic word, it has been used for centuries by Malays and even farther back in history, before the founding of Islam, by Arabic-speaking Christians.
This is not the first incident of the Malaysian government interfering with the delivery of Bibles; in March 5,000 Bibles imported from Indonesia were banned. These confiscations ignore Malaysia's constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.
Please pray for greater understanding between Christian and Muslim groups. Pray that the Malaysian government protects the rights of Christians in the country and pray for the end of Bible confiscations that limit religious freedom and access to holy texts.
Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8343626.stm
Last updated 12 November 2009