Najib meets Muslim groups to defuse tension over ‘Allah’ and other issues BY LEE SHI-IAN JANUARY 30, 2014 The prime minister today told leaders of 40 Muslim groups that he had kept his silence on the “Allah” issue because he did not want to add fuel to the fire. Datuk Seri Najib Razak said he was a leader of all Malaysians and not merely a single race. He said he had been silent about the “Allah” issue because he did not want to worsen the situation We cannot allow these issues to divide the country. We can have our differences but we cannot divide a nation. He said his meeting with representatives from the 40 non-governmental organisations was an attempt to defuse the tension and calm matters down. We are trying to find a solution for all parties. Islamic Dakwah Foundation Malaysia president Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, who attended the 40-minute meeting, told The Malaysian Insider Najib wanted to know what were the thoughts and fears of the grassroots. Aysraf said Najib touched on the cost of living and the “Allah” issue. Najib told the leaders that a battle of perception was being waged in cyberspace through social media and other Internet platforms. The general perception was that Putrajaya was not firm in handling these issues which the public was fretting about, especially on the high cost of living. Najib explained to the NGO leaders about Putrajayas stand on these matters and the action which had been taken. He pointed out that the perception war was littered with half-truths, baseless allegations and fabrications. Early on Monday, two Molotov cocktails were thrown into the compound of the Church of the Assumption in Lebuh Farquhar, Penang. The day before, banners with “Allah is Great, Jesus is the son of Allah” were found outside several churches in Penang. Aysraf said the Malay leaders also wanted to know Putrajayas action against wholesalers and retailers who had increased their prices unreasonably. Profiteering is one of the issues the people are concerned about as retailers seem to be increasing their prices indiscriminately. – January 30, 2014
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 09:22:57 +0000
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