Penang mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor said religious authorities must be careful when publishing such material, especially if it concerns the religions of others.
Speaking to FMT, he said that in a multicultural society, careful steps must be taken to ensure there would be no misunderstanding arising from hurtful statements.
“We are worried that such writing may affect close relations enjoyed between those of different faiths in our country.
“If there are any issues or confusion, we can always sit down and talk to resolve it, as we have always done before.
“Why don’t we find and write about common ground rather than focus on differences?”
On the issue of Christians using the word Allah, Wan Salim said he was keen on meeting the Penang bishop to discuss and air the concerns of Muslims over the matter.
He said bringing matters to the table for deliberation more often than not works, as he had spoken to many religious leaders of other faiths to discuss issues.
“The Kalimah Allah issue caused a polemic between Muslims and Christians. I’m eager to meet the bishop to talk to him to reduce any misunderstanding and iron out any other concerns.
“I hope other states can also use this method of talking it out (rundingan). Let’s sit down together and find muafakat (an accord),” he said.
The book, titled “Pendedahan Agenda Kristian”, is a free book published by the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (JAIS), which is also available for download from their website. It was first published in 2014, but its PDF copy has been shared on WhatsApp.
The 120-page book states while it “does not want to make enemies of Christians,” Muslims were “disturbed by Christian evangelists” who were trying to push for apostasy among Muslims.
The book highlights the creation of “Muslim friendship” groups by the evangelists as a ruse to indoctrinate Muslims with Christianity, and later convert them.
Divided into five chapters, it lists the “True character of Christianity”, “Laws on the Evangelical movement”, “The current realities of the Christian agenda” and “A solution to counter the Christian agenda”.
The book also called for stricter laws against those trying to convert Muslims into other faiths, whether deliberately or otherwise.
“The sensitivities of Muslims, by right, should not be challenged by minority religious groups such as the Christians,” one of the concluding statements in the book read.
The book also surmised that the Nasranis or Christians are the “enemies of Islam and will always have malicious intent and display a negative attitude towards Muslims”.
FMT has contacted JAIS to confirm the contents of the book. A spokesperson for the agency requested time to respond.
Meanwhile, the Selangor state exco for Islamic affairs, consumer affairs and halal industry, Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni said he was still waiting for an official statement from JAIS.