By Desmond Davidson
Some 7,000 Iban Christians made a stand in Kuching yesterday to press for religious freedom that was promised to them when Malaysia was formed 50 years ago.
The mass gathering comes amid growing concerns among Sarawak’s ethnic groups over the federal government's attitude towards their faith.
At the end of the four-day mass meeting, Pastor Greman Ujang Slat, chairman of Gempuru Besai Raban Kristian Jaku Iban Malaysia, said yesterday:
“When the idea of a federation of Malaysia was proposed in 1961, our forefathers initially expressed grave reservations on various issues relating to the well-being of our people under the Malaysian rule, including freedom of religion.
“The final decision to support the formation was made based heavily on the agreed special safeguards or the 18-point Agreement accorded to the people of Sarawak.”
Gempuru Besai Raban Kristian Jaku Iban Malaysia is a network of Iban speaking churches and Christians in Malaysia.
Ujang said because the safeguards for them to continue practising their faith and religion are under threat, “we are entrusted with the responsibility to ensure that these agreements and rights are protected and honoured”.
He also reminded Putrajaya of the Iban’s submissions to the Cobbold Commission of Inquiry that was set up to gather the opinions of the people in Sarawak and Sabah on the proposed formation of Malaysia, in which they had demanded special safeguards for religious freedom in a Malaysia where Islam is the official religion.
“Among the promised safeguards is the safeguard of complete religious freedom which our people living in the then Second (Sri Aman) and Third (Sibu administrative) divisions (of Sarawak), where 75% of our tribe resided, asked for in 1962.
“We must respect this promise and that all efforts should be made to ensure that it remains intact and serves the full purpose of its original intent.”
Christianity came to Sarawak in 1847 with the arrival of Bishop Francis Thomas McDougall and the Anglican Church's missionaries, who carried with them Bahasa Indonesia translated Bibles.
The Iban, Sarawak’s largest ethnic group, makes up 52.6% of Christians in the state.
Malaysia’s Christian community recently made headlines when the Court of Appeal ruled last October to uphold the Home Ministry’s decision to ban the use of the word Allah in the Catholic Church weekly Herald.
The court said the word Allah was not integral to the practice of the Christian faith, overturning an earlier High Court decision that the ban was unconstitutional.
The ruling, however, led to churches in Sabah and Sarawak being more vocal in pressing for their right to use the word Allah, as they represent the majority of the country's Malay-speaking Christians.
Allah is contained in their Al Kitab (Bahasa Malaysia Bible), their liturgy and prayers.
The Catholic Church has since appealed to the Federal Court, with a hearing scheduled for February 24 next year.
Wikisabah
Some 7,000 Iban Christians made a stand in Kuching yesterday to press for religious freedom that was promised to them when Malaysia was formed 50 years ago.
The mass gathering comes amid growing concerns among Sarawak’s ethnic groups over the federal government's attitude towards their faith.
At the end of the four-day mass meeting, Pastor Greman Ujang Slat, chairman of Gempuru Besai Raban Kristian Jaku Iban Malaysia, said yesterday:
“When the idea of a federation of Malaysia was proposed in 1961, our forefathers initially expressed grave reservations on various issues relating to the well-being of our people under the Malaysian rule, including freedom of religion.
“The final decision to support the formation was made based heavily on the agreed special safeguards or the 18-point Agreement accorded to the people of Sarawak.”
Gempuru Besai Raban Kristian Jaku Iban Malaysia is a network of Iban speaking churches and Christians in Malaysia.
Ujang said because the safeguards for them to continue practising their faith and religion are under threat, “we are entrusted with the responsibility to ensure that these agreements and rights are protected and honoured”.
He also reminded Putrajaya of the Iban’s submissions to the Cobbold Commission of Inquiry that was set up to gather the opinions of the people in Sarawak and Sabah on the proposed formation of Malaysia, in which they had demanded special safeguards for religious freedom in a Malaysia where Islam is the official religion.
“Among the promised safeguards is the safeguard of complete religious freedom which our people living in the then Second (Sri Aman) and Third (Sibu administrative) divisions (of Sarawak), where 75% of our tribe resided, asked for in 1962.
“We must respect this promise and that all efforts should be made to ensure that it remains intact and serves the full purpose of its original intent.”
Christianity came to Sarawak in 1847 with the arrival of Bishop Francis Thomas McDougall and the Anglican Church's missionaries, who carried with them Bahasa Indonesia translated Bibles.
The Iban, Sarawak’s largest ethnic group, makes up 52.6% of Christians in the state.
Malaysia’s Christian community recently made headlines when the Court of Appeal ruled last October to uphold the Home Ministry’s decision to ban the use of the word Allah in the Catholic Church weekly Herald.
The court said the word Allah was not integral to the practice of the Christian faith, overturning an earlier High Court decision that the ban was unconstitutional.
The ruling, however, led to churches in Sabah and Sarawak being more vocal in pressing for their right to use the word Allah, as they represent the majority of the country's Malay-speaking Christians.
Allah is contained in their Al Kitab (Bahasa Malaysia Bible), their liturgy and prayers.
The Catholic Church has since appealed to the Federal Court, with a hearing scheduled for February 24 next year.
Wikisabah
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