1Malaysia

Hisham: No action against Ibrahim Ali for ‘jihad’ call

By Kit

June 13, 2011

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal June 13, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — The government will not take any action against Datuk Ibrahim Ali for threatening Christians nationwide with a holy war against any move to usurp Islam with a Christian state.

“Action will only be taken if investigations find that the said act really contravened the country’s laws,” Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said in a written reply to Lim Lip Eng (Segambut-DAP) in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Lim had asked the Home Ministry to state whether it was a punishable offence for a person to declare “jihad” in the name of race and religion.

“I would advise that all parties be careful in making an accusation when its validity has yet to be verified,” said Hishammuddin.

The Perkasa president’s threat to Christians was based on Utusan Malaysia’s recent allegation that church leaders were in a plot with the DAP to turn Malaysia into a Christian state and install a Christian prime minister.

Christian leaders and DAP members have denied the reports which have sparked protests but the Home Ministry has only slapped Utusan Malaysia with a warning letter for publishing the unsubstantiated report.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was forced to meet with church leaders to clear the air but Umno vice president and Home Minister Hishammuddin later said that there was “some basis” to the reports.

The police in Penang have completed an investigation into Utusan Malaysia’s claims and have handed over the case to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

Utusan Malaysia had published a report entitled “Kristian Agama Rasmi?” (Christianity the official religion?) where it was alleged that DAP leaders and Christian clergymen were conspiring to take over Putrajaya, abolish Islam as the religion of the federation and install a Christian prime minister.