Malaysian churches bombed as Muslims protest Allah ruling - Summary

(NOTE): Allah is NOT the Arabic word for God, but it is the NAME of God! The Arabic word for God is different!

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Kuala Lumpur - Three Malaysian churches were attacked Friday with firebombs, while at least two others received threats by phone, ahead of a Muslim protest against a court ruling allowing Christians to use the word Allah, church leaders said.

Several Muslim groups gathered at three major mosques around the capital to protest a High-Court ruling last week that allowed the Herald, Malaysia's main Roman Catholic newsletter, to use Allah, which is the Arabic word for God. The government had ruled last year that the word could not be used in non-Muslim publications. The three-storey Metro Tabernacle, an Assemblies of God church in suburban Kuala Lumpur, was set ablaze around midnight Thursday when two suspects smashed the windows on the ground floor and tossed in flammable materials.

Church leader Peter Yeow was quoted as saying witnesses could not stop the suspects because they sped off on a motorcycle, the Star newspaper said.

Hours later, the Protestant Life Chapel Church and Catholic Church of Assumption in Petaling Jaya, a city outside Kuala Lumpur, were attacked when homemade bombs were thrown into the church grounds.

"Our guards saw the suspects flee in a car but could not recognize them," Church of Assumption priest Philip Muthu said.

He said Friday's incident was the second such attack on the church in two months.

Nobody was hurt in the attacks although the Metro Tabernacle church suffered damage.

The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship, which represents the majority of Malaysia's Protestant churches, said police had also confirmed that at least two other churches received threats by unidentified people over the phone.

"We are shocked that these attacks have taken place at these places of worship," the fellowship's secretary general, Sam Ang, said.

He said the police received reports that other churches were victims of threats on Friday, but declined to give details. Police could not be reached for comment on the phone threats.

Hundreds of Muslims held banners in Friday's protest, some reading "Do not challenge the Muslims," and chanted slogans for about half an hour before dispersing.

"We told the police," Assumption Church's Philip said. "We don't want to connect this to the Allah issue."

"We are not reading anything extra into these attacks, but of course, we needed to make a police report in light of the recent security issues," he said.

Prime Minister Najib Razak condemned the attacks, saying they would "destroy the country's harmony" and urged police to hasten investigations into finding the culprits.

Social activist Marina Mahathir urged all Muslims to condemn the attacks.

"This is not what Islam is about," said Marina, a daughter of former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad.

"The leadership must play its role and come out and tell the people not to condemn houses of worship," she was quoted as saying in the Star.

Police have said they would step up patrols around churches nationwide.

This week, the government filed an appeal against the High Court ruling, and a stay of execution has been approved until the appeal can be heard.

Non-Muslim groups have come out in opposition to the ban, saying the word Allah predates Islam and has been used by Malay-speaking Christians for decades. Critics said the ban restricts non-Muslims' freedom to practice their religion.

Multiracial Malaysia has always struggled with balancing religious and racial sensitivities. While Muslims make up the majority of its 27 million people, Malaysia is also home to large groups of Buddhists, Hindus and Christians.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/302660,malaysian-churches-bombed-as-muslims-protest-allah-ruling--summary.html.