PETALING JAYA: The police investigation on Father Lawrence Andrew for alleged sedition smacks of double standards, claimed Petaling Jaya Utara MP and DAP national publicity secretary, Tony Pua.
Pua said that others had uttered far more seditious and dangerous statements but no action had been taken against them.
He pointed out Perkasa leaders such as Zulkifli Nordin, who made fun of Hindu deities and questioned the purity of the Ganges River, as well as Datuk Ibrahim Ali who incited people to burn the Bible.
On Jan 3, Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria was reported to have called for a fatwa (edict) to declare that is halal (permissible) to shed the blood of participants of an anti-price hike rally popularly called Turun that was held on Dec 31.
He had labelled the participants bughah (a term used to describe Muslims who fought or betrayed the country’s leaders), and said that it was haram (forbidden) to participate in the rally.
“Who will take responsibility if any of the protestors were killed as a result of the mufti’s irresponsible edict?” said Pua in a statement Wednesday.
Pua said despite the outrageous statement, not a single finger has been lifted to chastise, much less investigate Harussani.
"On the other hand, Father Lawrence was merely asserting the fact that the world has been used in the Malay Bibles for more than a hundred years here without controversy or restrictions.
“He was certainly not calling for bloodshed or inciting violence,” said Pua.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has asked Catholic priestFather Lawrence Andrew to respect the court's decision on the use of the word, 'Allah' in the Malay version of the Bible.
The former Prime Minister said Father Lawrence should respect the sensitivities of the Muslim community in the country, just as Muslims respected other religions.
"The case was referred to the court by them, but when the court made its decision, they did not bother. What will happen when society does not respect the court's decision?
"The usage of the word, 'Allah', in Sabah and Sarawak has been for a long while, never mind, lah, but why all of a sudden (they) want to use it here?," asked Dr Mahathir.
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