State religious affairs executive councillor Datuk Abdul Malik Abul Kassim said a thorough investigation found no evidence of anyone being caught handing out Malay bibles at the school mentioned. — Picture by Choo Choy May

GEORGE TOWN, Feb 20 — Allegations of three men distributing Malay bibles at a school here were based on a rumour from a “mystery” teacher, said state religious affairs executive councillor Datuk Abdul Malik Abul Kassim.

He said his enforcement officers had conducted a thorough investigation into the allegations, which were made by a Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) chairman and carried in Malay newspaper Sinar Harian a few days ago.

Abdul Malik said no evidence was found of anyone being caught handing out Malay bibles at SMK Zainal Abidin.

“Enforcement officers from the religious affairs department contacted the school and the PTA, although they were not cooperative, we could not even identify the “mystery” teacher that the PTA chairman claimed had caught three men distributing Malay bibles in the school,” he told the Malay Mail Online in a telephone interview.

He said his enforcement officers found out that PTA chairman Nor Amin Ahmad had heard a rumour of this incident from a teacher, and posted it up on the social media site, Facebook.

Nor Amin’s Facebook post was picked up by Sinar Harian, but Abdul Malik said the posting has since been removed.

“It is obvious that these are false allegations as even the criminal investigation department chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Mazlan Kesah said the police did not receive any reports on this and no suspects were handed over to the police,” he said.

In the Sinar Harian report on February 16, Nor Amin had claimed that a teacher caught three men distributing the Malay version of the Christian bibles that had contained the word “Allah” to students in a school in George Town.

Abdul Malik pointed out that this was almost a repeat of a similar false allegation that two men were distributing bibles outside SMK Jelutong in January last year.

“The police also investigated the case last year and found that there was no basis to the allegations and now this is another false allegations following the same script,” he said.

The Batu Maung state assemblyman had earlier today issued a statement that he believed the recent sensitive issues happening in the state are all a “new type” of provocation to create racial tension.

The incidents included the controversial banners put up outside churches, the firebombing of a church, the firebombing of a police station, the alleged ban on Friday sermons, pork thrown in a mosque compound and this alleged distribution of Malay bibles to students.

“Now the strategy is different but the goal is the same and we are certain that these destructive groups will continue with their agenda especially when it is condoned by certain parties,” he said in the statement.

He also drew similarities between the allegations by a fake blog that the state plans to ban Friday sermons to an allegation that Penang plans to ban the Muslim call to prayers (Azan) last year, just prior to the general elections.

“The banning of the Friday sermons would mean banning Friday prayers (solat) and is akin to closing down mosques, so only those who are insane would come up with such ridiculous statements,” he said.