Today there was another attack against a Christian building in Malaysia: the temple of Sidang Injil Borneo, located in the central state of Negri Sembilan. Yesterday, four other places of worship or religious institutions were targeted by Muslim fundamentalists. Since 8 January, nine Christian buildings in all have been fire-bombed.
The chain of violence was triggered by the High Court of Malaysia?s decision on 31 December to allow the Catholic newspaper The Herald to use the word ?Allah? for God in its Malay language edition. The bishops of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, who are currently holding their Bishops Conference in Johor Baru, in the southern part of the Malay peninsula, said they were very concerned about the situation and did not expect that the question of the use of the word ?Allah? would be followed by a reaction of this kind, with attacks against churches and Christian buildings.
They stressed the need for dialogue and social harmony so as to defuse the conflict that fundamentalist groups are trying to incite throughout the country. According to a report by Fides News Service, the bishops stressed that ?meetings with civil authorities and dialogue with Muslim leaders are ongoing and will continue in the coming days. We must act in harmony and seek the necessary cooperation of the government and the high religious authorities in order to restore a peaceful environment to Malaysian society.?
Episodes like this are damaging the reputation of Islam in Malaysia, which up to now has been noted for its moderation and peaceful co-existence with other religions. In fact, groups of moderate Muslims are now taking turns guarding churches to avoid further acts of violence.