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PETALING JAYA: The Sarawak Council of Churches has joined the chorus of criticism against Pasir Puteh MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh for the PAS man’s comments on the Bible recently made in the Dewan Rakyat.
In his exchange with Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham about the religion that allows followers to consume alcohol, Zawawi said the Bible had been amended.
The Sarawak Association of Churches (ACS) said the MP’s comments were offensive and unacceptable, adding that his statement was a direct insult to the Bible.
“The statement that ‘kitab Injil ini dipesongkan ataupun diubah’ claiming that ‘the Gospel is distorted or changed’ crosses the line of religious sensitivity.
“This is considered serious and unacceptable as these statements were said openly and recorded in the official transcript of the 14th session of Dewan Rakyat on August 26,” ACS President Archbishop Simon Poh said today in a statement. .
He demanded that Zawawi retract his statement and apologize for the matter, adding that it went against the Federal Constitution and the 1963 Malaysia Agreement.
The PAS deputy had said that all religions do not allow their followers to consume alcohol, prompting a brief dispute with Ngeh.
Islam did not stop others from selling alcohol. Likewise, other religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism also did not allow followers to consume alcohol, he told the House.
Ngeh asked Zawawi to correct his facts, as other religions, such as Christianity, allowed people to taste alcohol but not get drunk.
However, Zawawi told Ngeh to check his facts, including on Christianity, “before the Bible was amended,” since not even a little liquor was allowed.
Ngeh retorted by telling Zawawi to ask other religious experts first, leading the PAS deputy to say that he had read about Christianity written by Christians.
Other Christian leaders on the peninsula had responded to Zawawi, saying that consuming alcohol was not a sin in the Bible, although it condemns intoxication.
