KOTA KINABALU: Upko Youth supports the statement by Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin that Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali should be taken to justice over his bible-burning remark.
"Eventhough we respect that the Attorney General has the power to decide on criminal proceedings against any person, the decision not to charge Datuk Ibrahim Ali is a matter of deep concern and worry," said its national chief Arthur Sen.
"The Attorney General said that Ibrahim had no intention to create religious tensions by making the call. But by making an open statement that the Bible should be burn is in itself a statement that creates animosity and tension amongst those who read or heard it." Sen said.
He said Section 298 of the Penal Code clearly states that "any person is guilty if deliberately intending to wound the religious feelings of any person."
"Any reasonable person who made such a statement would have known the impact and sensitivity that it would create towards a multi-religious Malaysia.
"The bible is the Holy Book of the Christian faith and any Holy Book from any other religion should be handled with utmost care and respect.
"We have always been taught and advise the virtue of tolerance, respect and understanding in our approach towards sensitive issues such as race and religion.
"Such virtues are the ties that bind us as a multi-racial and multi-religious nation.
"The Attorney General should be brave to make the call and to charge Datuk Ibrahim Ali for making such irresponsible and seditious statements that had created animosity and had hurt the feelings of Christians in this country," Sen said.
The A-G said in a statement on Monday that Ibrahim's speech where he called for the burning of Malay language Bibles "does not fall within the definition of seditious tendency."
As such, it said, no legal action was taken against Ibrahim "because he had no intention to create religious disharmony when he called for the burning of Bibles with the word "Allah."
It said it was clear that Ibrahim's intentions were to defend the sanctity of Islam and this could be seen in his speech.
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