Malaysian police on alert over Bible-burning threat

Kuala Lumpur - A top official in northern Malaysia on Thursday sought the help of police in stopping an alleged plan to burn Bibles printed in the local language and using the word "Allah."

The Penang state government would do all it could to stop a Bible-burning festival planned Sunday by a group called the Anti-Bible Bahasa Melayu (Anti-Malay Bible Action Force) in Butterworth, 290 kilometres north-west of Kuala Lumpur, said Lim Guan Eng, Penang’s chief minister.

Lim, an opposition leader, called the festival a "vile and abhorrent act that is a sacrilege to religious respect and freedom."

Authorities in Malaysia, where 60 per cent of the more than 29 million people are Muslim, have prohibited non-Muslims from using the word "Allah" since 2007 to prevent Muslims from being converted to other faiths.

A Catholic publication challenged the ban in court, and in December 2009, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the use of the word "Allah" is not exclusive to Islam.

The decision triggered attacks on some Christian churches and protests by Muslims throughout Malaysia.//DPA