Malaysia
Malaysia
Malaysia Bans 12 Christian Books 14 April 2003 In early April the Malaysian Home Ministry (KDN) banned 35 books that they considered detrimental to public peace. Twelve of these were Christian books, eleven of them in the national language, Bahasa Malaysia. The twelfth is a translation of the Bible in Iban, the language of the Iban people of Sarawak, which has been freely available in the country for over five years. The statement issued by the KDN stated that the “printing, import, production, reproduction, sale, circulation, distribution and possession of books listed under the schedule are banned in the country”. A jail sentence of up to three years and/or a maximum fine of 20,000 Malaysian ringgits (approx. £3,340) will be given to anyone found guilty of breaking this ban. Thus, the Iban Christians of Sarawak could face such consequences simply for possessing an Iban Bible. Those books banned include translated works by J I Packer, John R W Stott and others, which are not banned in their original English form. Such a ban discriminates against non-English speaking Malaysian Christians. Other banned books include some Islamic titles. A press statement issued by the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) on 11 April states that the ban “infringes on the rights of Ibans to practise their religion” and it calls on the government “to immediately lift the ban”. Ibans comprise 30% of the population of Sarawak (the largest ethnic group in the state) and the majority of Ibans are Christian. The Federal Constitution of Malaysia guarantees the right to practise one’s own religion. PRAY Pray that the ban will be lifted without any repercussions and that the spirit of the constitutional freedom to practise one’s religion will be upheld. BARNABAS FUND E-MAIL NEWS SERVICE The Barnabas Fund’s e-mail news service provides our supporters with short urgent news briefs and prayer requests for suffering Christians around the world. Please do share these news items with your Christian friends and churches. All news items are available on our website in a more colourful user-friendly presentation format which you can access, print and pass on. If you are not already receiving these news briefs directly from the Barnabas Fund and would like to, please contact us with your name, postal and e-mail addresses, and details of the church you attend. The Barnabas Fund, The Old Rectory, River Street, PEWSEY, Wiltshire, SN9 5DB, UK, Tel 01672 564938, Fax 01672 565030, E-mail info@barnabasfund.org Web www.barnabasfund.org