Monday January 28, 2013
Read books, not burn them
By YUEN MEIKENG
meikeng@thestar.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: A group of people spent their Sunday morning reading books on religion and philosophy to protest against a call to burn Malay-language Bibles.
The group, which gathered at the KLCC park here from 10am to noon, read books which included the Quran and both the English and Malay versions of the Bible.
Social activist Masjaliza Hamzah, who organised the event, described the public reading as “a peaceful way to respond to a violent call”.
“I heard that other groups are also doing the same in Penang and Kota Kinabalu in response to my posting of the event on Facebook,” she said at the park here yesterday.
The event was held in response to alleged calls by Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali to burn Malay Bibles containing the word “Allah” and a proposed event to burn the Christian holy book in Butterworth, Penang, yesterday.
An elegant event: Marina reading a book at the KLCC park, Kuala Lumpur, during a mass book reading held to protest the proposed fair to burn Bibles on Sunday. — AZMAN GHANI / The Star Social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, who read Karen Armstrong's The Case For God, described the event as “elegant” and a way of taking the moral high ground instead of reacting violently.
Freelance translator Seah Li Ling, 39, said such gatherings should be held regularly to promote the understanding of different religions.
Suri Kempe said it was embarrassing that Ibrahim was a public figure.
It was reported that nobody turned up for the alleged “Bahasa Melayu Bible-burning fair” that was to be held in front of the Dewan Ahmad Badawi municipality field in Jalan Bagan Luar in Butterworth yesterday.
Related Story:
Bible burning event fizzles out
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