Malaysia Insider | Post 4 Attacks on Malaysian Churches; Everything Going To be All Right

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Post 4 Attacks on Malaysian Churches; “Everything Going To be All Right”

Last Friday 3 churches around Kuala Lumpur were attacked only days after the Malaysia high court suspended recent ruling to allow Roman Catholic publication to use the term Allah to refer to God in their Herald Weekly Bahasa Melayu section.

The first incident struck the three-storey Metro Tabernacle church, part of the Assemblies of God movement, destroying its ground floor to a charred and twisted wreck.

The second and third attack involved the Catholic Church of the Assumption in Kuala Lumpur’s southwest and the nearby Protestant Life Chapel church, both escape with minor damages as the Molotov cocktail failed to explode.

Coincidentally, the Malaysia judiciary website was also hacked and defaced on the same night, leaving a short threat to drop the ‘Allah’ case.

The latest attack that happened on Saturday morning was to the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Petaling Jaya, but the firebomb missed the glass windows, hitting the building wall instead, leaving a minor burn marks on its outer paint job.

No human injury or casualty was reported in any of the four incidents. Islamic teachings prohibit destroying place of worship even in the event of war.

“Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah – For had it not been for Allah’s repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty” – Al-Hajj Ayaat 40.

PM Najib Tun Razak announced last night that the government will fund RM500,000 to repair the Metro Tabernacle church in Desa Melawati.

A group of youth handing out flowers to passer-by at Bukit Bintang. Image source- The Star

Malaysian public, the majority Malay Moslems and other religion adherents remain divided over the ‘Allah’ issue, but all unanimously mourn and condemn any attack to houses of worship or any other acts that will jeopardize the delicate racial harmony in Malaysia.

Yesterday a public rally was held at Bukit Bintang to show Malaysian solidarity over recent religious distruption. A group of youths – of various races and professions – got together at the city centre and handed out flowers to passers-by in a gesture of goodwill in the wake of the arson attacks on four churches in the Klang Valley. The youths stood in the hustle and bustle of the Golden Triangle of Jalan Bukit Bintang carrying placards and banners with the message “Everything’s gonna be alright”.

Technorati Tags: Allah, Christian, Herald Weekly, Kuala Lumpur, Lutheran, Malaysia, Malaysia News, Petaling Jaya, Protestant, Roman Catholic