Hands off Bibles, church body tells Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's government should stop harassing Christians by seizing their Bibles especially at entry points, the country's biggest church group said on Tuesday amid a new furore over the imports of the holy book.

The Christian Federation of Malaysia's statement came a day after a Malaysian Christian complained that airport custom officers seized 32 English Bibles on her arrival from Manila.

Federation chairman Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing said the incident, which happened on Jan. 28, was not an isolated case.

"We have received many complaints from Christians being told to hand over religious books to custom officers at various checkpoints in the country," he said in a statement. "Now they even want our Bibles."

"We will not comply with any directives from the government or its agencies that infringe on our right to use our sacred book and other Christian literature," said Tan, who represents the country's three main church groups.

The Bible seizure is the latest in a series of disputes that are stoking fears of an erosion of non-Muslims' rights ahead of the coming general elections, widely expected within weeks.

Politically dominant Malay Muslims form about 60 percent of the population of about 26 million, while the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities include Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and Sikhs.