Malaysian Christian churches accuse gov't of desecrating 5,000 Bibles seized at port

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia's main Christian grouping has accused the government of desecrating 5,000 imported Bibles seized by custom authorities.

The accusation aggravates a dispute over the distribution of Malay-language Bibles containing the word "Allah" as a translation for God. The government in this Muslim-majority nation has banned the use of "Allah" in non-Muslim texts.

Authorities have held 5,000 Indonesian-made Bibles at a Malaysian port since March 2009. The Prime Minister's Department earlier this week agreed to release the Bibles.

Christian leaders said Thursday that the Bibles were stamped with serial numbers and warnings that the books are meant for Christians only.