Vandals smash Malaysian church window amid religious tensions over use of word Allah

Vandals smash Malaysia church window amid tensions

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A church in southern Malaysia has been vandalized, apparently the latest in a string of attacks on Christian houses of worship in this Muslim-majority nation, police said Saturday.

Eleven churches — as well as one Sikh temple — have been damaged since a court ruled late last month that non-Muslims can use the word Allah to refer to God. The decision angered many Muslims, who say the word is exclusive to their religion and its use by others could confuse Muslims into converting.

Officials at a church in southern Negeri Sembilan state found a window at their building smashed late Friday, said Saiful Azly Kamaruddin, a district police chief. He said police were still investigating, but the attack appeared to be vandalism.

Police have stepped up patrols and deployed more plainclothes officials in the area, he said.

Earlier Friday, police charged a Malaysian student was charged Friday after allegedly posting comments on Facebook about throwing a gasoline bomb.

Mohamad Tasyrif Tajudin, 25, allegedly wrote, “You want me to throw a petrol (gasoline) bomb there? We can negotiate the price” in a recent Facebook discussion over the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims. Many of the churches vandalized were hit by Molotov Cocktails.

He was charged under the Communications and Multimedia Act for improper use of the Internet, which carries a penalty of up to a year in jail and a fine if found guilty, said deputy public prosecutor Dusuki Mokhtar.

“He was not the one who prepared the firebombs or committed the crime. But he misused Facebook with the intention to cause disturbance. Posting such remarks is sensitive and dangerous,” Dusuki told The Associated Press.

Mohamad Tasyrif didn’t enter a plea and will remain in police custody as the case was postponed until Monday, he said.

Since Jan. 8, unidentified attackers have hurled Molotov Cocktails at eight churches, one of which was partially gutted. Two other churches were vandalized with paint, and a Sikh temple was pelted with stones, apparently because Sikhs use the word Allah in their scriptures.

No arrests have been made in connection with the attacks.

The office of lawyers representing Christians in their legal fight for the right to use Allah was also ransacked.

The attacks followed a Dec. 31 court decision overturning a government order that forbade a Catholic newspaper from using the word Allah as a translation for God in its Malay-language edition. The ruling upset many Muslims in Malaysia.

Malay Muslims comprise about 60 percent of the country’s 28 million people, with 2.5 million Christians.

The dispute has hardened a long-standing sense of alienation among the non-Muslim minority, threatening 40 years of ethnic peace and stability that underpins Malaysia’s economic success.

The government has condemned the attacks on the churches and has vowed to uphold the freedom of religion guaranteed to minorities by the constitution.