Bible in local language draws ire

PADANG, West Sumatra: Police said the provincial prosecutor's office would investigate the distribution of Bibles in the local Minang dialect which enraged some groups in the Muslim-dominated area.

"We have left this in the hands of the prosecutor's office," provincial police chief Col. Dasrul Lamsuddin announced on Friday. He also called on the public not to act rashly.

According to 1996 statistics, 98.8 percent of West Sumatra's 4,390,000 population were Muslim.

He said the case could cause a rift among people. "The authorities are handling the matter earnestly and cautiously ... we will not take sides."

The spokesman for the prosecutor's office, Khaidir Ramli, refused to say how many of the Bibles were in circulation.

The case became potentially explosive following the revelation of the abduction and rape of a Muslim girl by a Christian family, who reportedly then forced her to convert to Christianity. The case of 17-year-old Wawah is now being tried at the Padang District Court.(swe)