“Speaker Azhar Harun has issued a letter to Zawawi asking for an explanation and to include any evidence to justify his claim,” he said in a statement today, adding that he has also received a letter from Parliament on the matter.

“I will continue to pursue the Bible issue as it is important to send the correct message that regardless of position or power, no one is above the law.

“His remarks have clearly contravened the Parliament’s Standing Order 36(10)(c), and if it is not dealt with, it sets a bad precedent in the honourable House where such insensitive comments against other religions can be made without any repercussions.”

Yii said Zawawi had refused to apologise despite multiple demands from the public, including the Association of Churches in Sarawak, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST), the Sabah Council of Churches and the Sarawak Evangelical Christian Association.

He said MCCBCHST had also asked Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to intervene and take action on the PAS MP but there had been no response.

“This is contrary to his (Muhyiddin’s) recent statement that divisive sentiments such as race politics or divisive religious politics have no place in a multicultural Malaysia,” he said.

Yii also said MPs should be the first to set a good example by promoting unity and not division, and that is why a precedent has to be set in Parliament where such remarks should not have been condoned in the first place.

During the Dewan Rakyat debate on proposed higher penalties for drink-driving last month, Zawawi said biblical injunctions about drinking alcohol had been “distorted or altered”, leading to a rebuke from Christian associations and politicians.