By Adrian Lim
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3: Pasir Puteh MP Datuk Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh today apologised and retracted his statement which he made on August 26 in Parliament that the Bible is ‘distorted’ and ‘changed’.
Nik Muhammad Zawawi said he did not mean to insult the Christian community in his speech and explained that he wanted to protect the original version of “Kitab Injil”.
“I respect the people who are from other faiths and religions. As in the Hansard, I hope the word ‘distorted’ is eliminated.
“The reason for which I mentioned the word ‘distorted’ was to protect the original version of the ‘Kitab’.
“As for the issue of drinking wine, there were three versions (of the Bible) for Christians academically although Christians are allowed to drink wine.
“When Beruas MP (Ngeh Koo Ham) in general mentioned Christians can drink wine, I felt that it was unfair and I accidentally spoke directly for which I uttered the word ‘distorted’.
“Hence today, I retract the word ‘distorted’ and I apologise to anyone who felt insulted,” he told Parliament today.
Earlier, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun read out an undated letter from Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii which he received on September 1 concerning the statement made by Nik Muhammad Zawawi.
Azhar noted that during the debate on the Road Transport (Amendment) Act 2020 about drunk drivers in the last Parliament session, Nik Muhammad Zawawi expressed his opinion based on Islam teachings.
He said the MP’s opinion was part of his understanding and faith in Islam.
Azhar highlighted that Nik Muhammad Zawawi did not have any intention to despise any religion as recorded in the Hansard of the Parliament.
Nonetheless, he noted that during the heated debate on the Road Transport (Amendment) Act 2020 which stirred up tempers, Nik Muhammad Zawawi’s spontaneous response on the Bible which he said was ‘distorted’ and ‘changed’ has hurt the feelings of the Christian community.
As a result, he requested Nik Muhammad Zawawi to apologise to the Christian community and retract his statement which he made on August 26 to preserve the harmony and multi-religious status of Malaysian society. — DayakDaily
