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Malaysia PM urges respect for religious festivals in Christmas message

KUALA LUMPUR – In his Christmas message, Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said Putrajaya’s 10-point solution, which allows Christians to use Malay-language Bibles containing the word “Allah”, was to protect the freedom of religion as spelt out in the Federal Constitution.

Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. (Photo: Malaysian Insider)

Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. (Photo: Malaysian Insider)

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KUALA LUMPUR – In his Christmas message, Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said Putrajaya’s 10-point solution, which allows Christians to use Malay-language Bibles containing the word “Allah”, was to protect the freedom of religion as spelt out in the Federal Constitution.

“Our constitution guarantees the right of all Malaysians to practise their religion.

“And the 10-point solution to address the Bahasa bible and other related issues – that was agreed upon in 2011, and which must be consistent with state laws – was introduced as a way to manage our diversity and protect this right,” he said in a Christmas greeting posted on his blog today (Dec 25).

He also urged Malaysians to respect each other’s religious festivals, and celebrate the country’s diversity.

Mr Najib said: “Regardless of our ethnicity, culture or religion, Malaysians respect each other’s religious festivals together in solidarity.

“This Christmas, let us once again come together in the spirit of harmony, acceptance and respect. And celebrate the diversity that makes Malaysia so exceptional,” he said.

Putrajaya introduced the 10-point solution in 2011 to allay fears by Malay-speaking Christians from Sabah and Sarawak that they were also subjected to the ban on the use of “Allah” in bibles and religious ceremonies.

But recent incidents of seizure of Christian materials, such as in Selangor and Johor, have led to questions over the 10-point solution’s validity.

Several state Islamic enactments prohibit the use of the term “Allah” among a list of other Arabic words by non-Muslims.

Last June, the Federal Court dismissed the Catholic church’s leave application to appeal the ban on the use of the word by its publication Herald. – MALAYSIAN INSIDER

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