PETALING JAYA: Over 20 personnel from the Selangor Islamic Religious department (Jais) together with the police raided the Bible Society of Malaysia in Damansara Kim here.
Bible Society of Malaysia executive council member Nic Ng said 321 copies of the Alkitab, 10 copies of the Iban Bilble - Bup Kudus and 20 copies of Luke's Gospel in Malay were seized during the raid.
Ng said police ordered the society chairman Lee Min Choon and office manager Sinclair Wong to accompany them to the Damansara Utama police station to give a statement.
He said the society's premises were closed on Thursday for stock taking when the enforcement officers arrived.
Ng said staff initially did not allow the officers to enter the premises because they did not have a warrant.
"My staff called me and I also told them that Jais had no jurisdiction over us," he said.
He said there was short standoff until the arrival of Lee who relented because they did not want the officers to force their way into the premises.
"We told them there was no need for all of them to enter and only five officers went in," he said.
Jais director Ahmad Zaharin Mohd Saad last week said he would be issuing letters to all Selangor churches to remind them to obey a 1988 state enactment banning non-Muslims from using the word “Allah”.
At 4.30pm, Lee and Bible Society of Malaysia office manager Sinclair Wong were released on bail after giving their statements to police at the Damansara police station.
Sinclair said they were required to meet Jais officials on Jan 10.
Bible Society of Malaysia executive council member Nic Ng said 321 copies of the Alkitab, 10 copies of the Iban Bilble - Bup Kudus and 20 copies of Luke's Gospel in Malay were seized during the raid.
Ng said police ordered the society chairman Lee Min Choon and office manager Sinclair Wong to accompany them to the Damansara Utama police station to give a statement.
He said the society's premises were closed on Thursday for stock taking when the enforcement officers arrived.
Ng said staff initially did not allow the officers to enter the premises because they did not have a warrant.
"My staff called me and I also told them that Jais had no jurisdiction over us," he said.
He said there was short standoff until the arrival of Lee who relented because they did not want the officers to force their way into the premises.
"We told them there was no need for all of them to enter and only five officers went in," he said.
Jais director Ahmad Zaharin Mohd Saad last week said he would be issuing letters to all Selangor churches to remind them to obey a 1988 state enactment banning non-Muslims from using the word “Allah”.
At 4.30pm, Lee and Bible Society of Malaysia office manager Sinclair Wong were released on bail after giving their statements to police at the Damansara police station.
Sinclair said they were required to meet Jais officials on Jan 10.
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