Anifah urges Sabahans to reject religious intolerance over Israel Houghton concert

Former foreign minister Tan Sri Anifah Aman urged Sabahans to reject religious intolerance amid controversy over a Christian concert.

Anifah questioned why a double standard exists regarding performances by artists who support Israel when those artists have been allowed to perform in Malaysia previously.

STAR Sabah president Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey G Kitingan supported Anifah, highlighting the importance of mutual respect and religious freedom in Sabah.

KOTA KINABALU, Oct 6 — Former foreign minister Tan Sri Anifah Aman has urged Sabahans not to bring religious intolerance into Sabah.

In a statement regarding the proposed concert by Israel Houghton here, Anifah said he was surprised that police reports have been made against the organising of the concert as Sabah has always been a land where tolerance is of utmost importance.

“Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, and members of all religions can live harmoniously together.

“Therefore, seeing police reports made against the organisation of a Christian concert, by a Christian singer, for a Christian audience is truly baffling,” he said.

Anifah said he was made to understand that the singer had previously voiced his support for the political state of Israel on social media.

“I do recall a heavy metal group who also publicly supported the political state of Israel performing in Bukit Jalil stadium just last month. Why the double standard? Has religious intolerance begun to creep in our society?” he queried.

He pointed out that when he was the foreign minister, there were athletes who came to Malaysia to participate in certain sporting events.

“Some athletes were supporters of Israel. However, the government of Malaysia made a clear stance that they can come to Malaysia provided they respect local sensitivities and do not fly the Israeli flag,” he said.

Anifah added that if law enforcement authorities can ensure that Houghton complies with local laws and avoids provoking local sensitivities, and reasonable measures can be taken to prevent any provocation, he does not see why Houghton should be prevented from performing in Sabah.

“After all, he is not here to proselytise among Muslims as the event is clearly stated—for Christians only.

“Christianity has many denominations and Israel performs Gospel music which is the norm amongst many Protestant and Reformed denominations, which also have a significant presence in Sabah. We never had a problem before this. We shouldn’t make this a problem now. Don’t bring religious politics of intolerance into Sabah,” he said.

Separately, STAR Sabah president Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey G Kitingan expressed his support for Anifah’s stance.

He said Anifah raised an important concern about preserving the mutual respect that has long sustained Sabah’s diverse society.

“In Sabah, Muslims, Christians, and followers of other faiths have lived together, celebrated one another’s festivals, and respected each other’s religious practices for generations. This harmony is a strength we must protect.

“We must also remember the solemn pledge inscribed on Batu Sumpah Keningau: ‘Kerajaan Malaysia Jamin—Ugama Bebas Dalam Sabah’ or The Malaysian Government Guarantees—Freedom of Religion in Sabah,” said Jeffrey.

He said that the historic pledge reflected the importance Sabahans place on religious freedom and mutual respect in the formation of Malaysia.

“As the Member of Parliament for Keningau, I emphasise that this pledge must continue to guide our leadership and our treatment of every religious community. Its meaning must be upheld in practice, including respect for Christians to gather and express their faith peacefully, subject to applicable laws.

“Protecting this freedom is a shared responsibility. Every community benefits when we honour the same principle: respect for one another’s beliefs and the freedom to practise them in peace,” he added. — The Borneo Post

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前外交部长丹斯里阿尼法·阿曼敦促沙巴人民在基督教音乐会引发争议之际，拒绝宗教不容忍。

阿尼法质疑，为什么对于支持以色列的艺术家在马来西亚的演出存在双重标准，而这些艺术家之前却被允许在马来西亚演出。

沙巴之星主席拿督斯里邦里马杰弗里·G·基廷安博士支持阿尼法，强调沙巴相互尊重和宗教自由的重要性。

哥打基纳巴卢，10月6日讯——前外交部长丹斯里阿尼法·阿曼敦促沙巴人民不要将宗教不容忍带入沙巴。

阿尼法就以色列·霍顿计划在此举办的演唱会发表声明称，他对有人就组织这场演唱会向警方报案感到惊讶，因为沙巴一直是一个极其重视宽容的地方。

“穆斯林、基督徒、佛教徒、印度教徒、锡克教徒以及所有宗教的信徒都可以和谐共处。”

“因此，看到有人就基督教歌手为基督教观众组织基督教音乐会一事向警方报案，真是令人费解，”他说。

阿尼法表示，他了解到这位歌手此前曾在社交媒体上表达过对以色列政治政权的支持。

“我记得上个月有个重金属乐队也在武吉加里尔体育场演出，他们也公开支持以色列的政治政权。为什么会有双重标准？宗教不容忍现象是不是已经开始在我们社会蔓延了？”他质问道。

他指出，在他担任外交部长期间，曾有运动员来马来西亚参加一些体育赛事。

他说：“有些运动员是以色列的支持者。但是，马来西亚政府明确表示，只要他们尊重当地的敏感性，不悬挂以色列国旗，他们就可以来马来西亚。”

阿尼法补充说，如果执法部门能够确保霍顿遵守当地法律，避免激怒当地民众，并采取合理措施防止任何挑衅行为，那么他看不出有什么理由阻止霍顿在沙巴演出。

“毕竟，他来这里不是为了向穆斯林传教，因为活动已经明确说明——只面向基督徒。”

“基督教有很多教派，以色列人演唱福音歌曲，这在许多新教和改革宗教派中都很常见，这些教派在沙巴也有相当大的影响力。以前我们从未遇到过问题。现在我们也不应该制造问题。不要把不宽容的宗教政治带进沙巴，”他说。

另外，沙巴之星主席拿督斯里邦利马博士杰弗里·G·基廷安表示支持阿尼法的立场。

他说，阿尼法提出了一个重要的关切，即如何维护长期以来维系沙巴多元化社会的相互尊重。

“在沙巴，穆斯林、基督徒和其他信仰的人们世世代代和睦相处，庆祝彼此的节日，尊重彼此的宗教习俗。这种和谐是我们必须保护的力量。”

“我们还必须记住刻在 Batu Sumpah Keningau 上的庄严承诺：‘Kerajaan Malaysia Jamin – Ugama Bebas Dalam Sabah’或马来西亚政府保证 – 沙巴宗教自由，”杰弗里说。

他表示，这一历史性的承诺体现了沙巴人民对马来西亚建国过程中宗教自由和相互尊重的重视。

“作为根地咬国会议员，我强调，这项承诺必须继续指导我们的领导层以及我们对待所有宗教团体的方式。其意义必须在实践中得到维护，包括尊重基督徒在遵守适用法律的前提下，和平地集会和表达信仰的权利。”

“保护这种自由是每个人的共同责任。当我们秉持同一原则——尊重彼此的信仰和和平践行信仰的自由——时，每个社区都会受益。”他补充道。——《婆罗洲邮报》

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