Baptist church attacked in Malaysia

An eleventh Christian church has been hit by vandals in Malaysia. On January 16, the Grace Global Prayer Baptist Church in the city of Semabarna - the state capital of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia - was the target of assailants throwing stones that shattered the church's windows. Church leaders have called the police, who drew up a report and launched an investigations.

For the first time since the attacks on Christian churches, a mosque in the state of Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo, has also been hit by vandals who threw bottles at the outer walls of the building. Christians have condemned the violence and dismissed the gestures of those who want to fuel the tension, and invited the faithful to prayer and fasting “for peace and harmony of religion in the country.” Sources in Malaysia say they pray that the situation will not deteriorate.

 Archbishop Murphy Pakiam of Kuala Lumpur, President of the Catholic  Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, said "We will continue working for dialogue and peace. We are negotiating with the government to seek a solution to the dispute on the name of Allah, thinking of the common good of the country."

Fr. Augustine Julian, Secretary of the Bishops' Conference said "These are, as already mentioned, small isolated incidents, the result of the actions of irresponsible elements and fanatics who seek to create fear and tension. For us, nothing changes. The Catholic Church and the entire Christian community will maintain calm and will not be involved in an open conflict." There will be no demonstrations or protest marches, or communications issued to the mass media, which could produce other effects from fundamentalists. "These groups want to benefit from this situation. It is a trap in which the Church will not fall," Fr. Julian remarked, conveying the feelings and orientations of Malaysian Bishops.

Among other things, the non-violent stance taken by Christians can also "create frustration with extremist groups, who want to spark a confrontation." The logic of non-violence stuns the violent: "Let the name of Allah the story take its course, respecting the institutions and the Constitution...Furthermore, large segments of the Malaysian public look at us favorably. The Chinese and Indian community support us, as does part of the Malay community itself. As do the political opposition groups and some Islamic parties."

A special prayer for "peace and harmony in the country" has been entrusted to the Carmelite Sisters in Seremban, in the state of Negeri Sembilan. In many other churches of all Christian denominations, prayer meetings and fasting for peace have been organized.