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BY EILEEN NG January 16, 2014 Latest Update: January 16, 2014 02:49 pm

As the dispute over the use of the word Allah rages on, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (right) has weighed in on the matter, urging the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) to return the Bibles seized from the Bible Society of Malaysia.

The opposition leader said he did not approve of the "high-handed" manner of which Jais raided the BSM premises two weeks ago, where some 300 Malay and Iban Bibles were seized and two officials detained.

"Give them back," he said at a press conference at the PKR headquarters today.

While he is not disputing Jais's right to question, investigate and call up people for clarification, Anwar said the department's conduct was "very dangerous" as it failed to respect the sensitivities of other religions.

"The question is not the law, but the manner it was being done.

"The role of the state government is to advice the ruler and make it known that whilst they respect state laws and position of Islam and there is no need to compromise on faith, we must be clear that every citizen in this country must be accorded the same respect and they must be of a certain decorum," he said.

Jais had defended its actions, saying that it was in line with the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions Enactment 1988 (Control of Propagation Among Muslims), a law which prohibits non-Muslims in the state from using the word "Allah" and 34 other Arabic words.

Reiterating Pakatan Rakyat's 2010 stand that the term is not exclusive to Muslims, Anwar acknowledged the religious dispute is a grave concern among Muslims in rural Malaysia and reiterated his call for the ruling Barisan Nasional pact to have a dialogue with his opposition coalition to find solutions to cool down the raging controversy.

"The Allah issue is a problem in the Muslim heartland. What is required is for us to continue with more effective to engage the Muslims.

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