| Location | Date | Incidents |
| 1. Metro Tabernacle Church, Desa Melawati | 8 Jan | arson/ground floor burnt |
| 2. Assumption Church, Petaling Jaya | 8 Jan | firebomb thrown |
| 3. Life Chapel Church, Petaling Jaya | 8 Jan | firebomb thrown/porch damaged |
| 4. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Petaling Jaya | 9 Jan | firebomb thrown |
| 5. Convent School Taiping (next to St Louis' Church) | 9 Jan | firebomb thrown breaking guard-house window |
| 6. All Saints Church, Taiping | 10 Jan | firebomb thrown |
| 7. St. Louis Church, Taiping | 10 Jan | firebomb thrown |
| 8. Melaka Baptist Church, Melaka | 10 Jan | black paint thrown |
| 9. Good Shepherd Church, Miri | 10 Jan | stones thrown breaking window panes |
| 10. Sidang Injil Borneo, Seremban | 11 Jan | arson/front door scorched |
| 11. Gurdwara Sahib Sikh, Sentul | 12 Jan | stones thrown/mirror cracked & wall chipped |
| 12. St. Elizabeth Church, Kota Tinggi | 14 Jan | red paint thrown splattering wall and Virgin Mary |
| 13. Grace Global Prayer Church, Rasah, Seremban | 15 Jan | vandalized/window panes broken |
| 14. Ar-Riyadh Mosque, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak | 15 Jan | rum bottle thrown |
Map courtesy of Mkini |
Introduction by Dr Lim Teck Ghee
Over the past week, there has been an outpouring of comments and analyses on the Herald ‘Allah’ issue and its aftermath of firebombings and other acts aimed at the desecration of churches and other religious buildings. (See chart for list of the incidents).
It is still too early to say whether this ongoing controversy is a defining one that will reshape the country’s race-and-religion relations and attitudes, for better or for worse. But all indications are that the furore is likely to escalate rather than go away quietly, contrary to Najib Razak’s assertion yesterday that “This is a minor aberration???.
The Prime Minister had clarified in his interview with Okaz newspaper and published in its English-language sister, the Saudi Gazette that “only one church was burnt and only its administrative portion was set ablaze???.
Najib, during his visit to Saudi Arabia, also stressed how “national unity and mutual respect between various racial and religious communities in Malaysia has been a cornerstone of Malaysia for a long time???.
While it is true that there has been relative peace during the last 40 years, ‘national unity and mutual respect between various racial and religious communities’ has nonetheless eroded considerably.
What the causes are for the dangerous fragility in the country’s social and religious cohesion needs to be objectively assessed. This is not so much to engage in a fingerpointing or a blame-it-on-the-other-side exercise but to enable us to rise above the current controversy and help heal Malaysia and her various communities.
To enable readers quick access to some of the more cogent and perceptive comments and analysis that have appeared to date, we are reproducing here a brief sampling of some half dozen writings that have appeared elsewhere, with a link to the websites where they originally appeared so that readers can view the entire article or commentary. We have also included one of CPI’s early commentaries.
We welcome suggestions and contributions from readers that can provide fresh insight on this important episode in the country’s history. Please e-mail your feedback to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." target="_blank">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
EXCERPTS:
All because of the ‘A’ word
By Yin Ee Kiong
Even as we condemn Umno for the recent fire-bombing of churches, the other component parties of BN are not totally blameless. While Umno has consistently played the race and religion cards, the other parties have consistently failed to stand up against it … [and] while we know Umno’s stand on this matter, what is the stand of the other non-Umno component parties in BN? In the past we have seen them turn tail in the face of Umno displeasure; will they find their spine this time?
Unfortunately because the government has always given in to the extremist elements (most of it from Umno it must be said) this has set a pattern. Examples:
- The Apcet sase (which the court has now awarded RM30,000 each to the plaintiffs)
- The threat to burn down the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall by Umno Youth
- The Article 11 incident in Penang where instead of arresting the demonstrators (which the police would gladly have done were they Opposition members) ordered the meeting was to be ended.
- The Cow Head Demonstration and before that issues of conversions, demolishing of temples, obstructing the building of churches etc.
With all that kind of track record, should anyone be surprised with what has happened. It is a matter of sooner or later, and now it has happened.
http://twothewall.blogspot.com/2010/01/all-because-of-a-word-by-yin-ee-kiong.html
‘Allah’: The blame game
Editorial by Malaysian Insider
… the Umno-controlled Utusan Malaysia today (Jan 12) came out with reasons why “Allah??? is exclusive to Muslims, citing aspects of Syariah law and the Federal Constitution.
The Malay-language newspaper also implicitly argued the church’s claim to the name has stoked tensions and by dropping it, would calm the tense situation.
In other words, don’t blame anyone else if churches continue to be attacked. Drop the claim, all will be fine. Then, we can talk.
Just blame yourself for “reaping what is sown???, as an Umno blogger eloquently wrote when saying the church had robbed the Malays of the word “Allah???.
That’s hardly the start of a dialogue by any standards. It would be best for BN politicians and Utusan to say explicitly: “You are not worthy to use the name. And we have made that law.???
Perhaps the government should realise it cannot legislate faith. It might have done so under Article 160 of the Federal Constitution to define Malays, but limiting names for God is unknown in the world.
Response to ‘Torched churches… Reaping what is sown’
By Shahril Hamdan
Akhram [Akhramsyah Sanusi] shared with the world his thoughts on the matter – the main two being that the attacks were fair due to the continued denigration of Malays, and that the Government should not have allocated RM500,000 to the damaged Metro Tabernacle Church. Wow.
Akhramsyah begins his post titled, “Torched Churches… Reaping What Is Sown???, by unashamedly stating that more churches will be attacked until the issue of the usage of the term ‘Allah’ by the Catholic magazine Herald is “resolved to the satisfaction of Muslims in this country???.
You see, Akhram belongs to a section within the Malay community, (and yes, within the party I support and serve, Umno) whose conception of Malaysia is firmly grounded on a distant past and not on the present and immediate future.
For them, Malays can do little wrong because we committed the Original Sacrifice at the birth of this nation, which must perennially hold down our entire national narrative until the end of days; by first allowing citizenship to be granted to then (non-Malay) immigrants, then allowing practice of vernacular cultures and allowing multi-racial representation in Government, the non-Malays must be forever grateful to the Malays – any “claims??? can justifiably be met with scorn.
For them, it is never about the merit of an argument, nor is it the value of having a vibrant multi-cultural society, nor is it the fact that most non-Malay Malaysians only know this to be their country, much less is it about doing “what’s right??? – rather, it is about locking our ethnic dialogue into a timeless logic of mutual distrust, contempt and fear.
The trouble and hurt they cause non-Muslims is palpable; but their chief victims are Malays themselves and the very community they claim to represent. Instead of sowing the seeds of confidence and courage, they bring out the worst in our character and intellect when they suggest it is only fair for Malays to be “lobbing Molotov cocktails at churches indiscriminately??? or that the allocation of RM500,000 to be “a load of nonsense??? because, as aforementioned, it may lead to “arson for profit???.
As a young Malay-Muslim, after numerous false starts, it is most frustrating to see my community being held back time and again – the old doctrine, the old Dilemma, always reappearing at the moment of its apparent political eclipse.
http://shahrilhamdan.wordpress.com/2010/01/12/taking-akhram-to-town/
Malaysia’s regime crisis, race politics and the kalimah Allah issue
By Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
Umno’s position in the present controversy over the use of the term “Allah??? by non-Muslims is an example. In a milestone moment, PAS, the Islamic party, is holding onto the more plural and moderate position while Umno is digging itself into an intolerant hardline position that has no parallel that I know of in the Muslim world. Umno is fanning communal sentiment, and the government it leads is taking up policy lines based on “sensitivities??? rather than principle. The issue appears to be more about racial sentiment than religious, let alone constitutional principles.
In a complex multiracial society a party and a government whose primary response to a public issue is sunk in the elastic goo of “sensitivities??? rather than founded on principle, drawn from sentiment rather than from the Constitution, is already short of leadership and moral fibre. Public life is about behaving and choosing on principle rather than sentiment. Islam, in particular, demands that our actions be guided by an absolute commitment to justice for all rather than by looking inward at vague “sensitivities??? of particular groups, however politically significant.
http://razaleigh.com/2010/01/07/malaysias-regime-crisis-race-politics-and-the-kalimah-allah-issue/
Q&A: What's next after church attacks in M'sia?
By Reuters
Q: Are religious tensions in Malaysia an investment risk?
A: After the arson attempts against the churches, possibly.
Religious disputes are a risk mostly in their potential to increase ethnic tensions, making it important for investors to see how the government handles the issue.
Investors have been avoiding Malaysia due to the lacklustre government of Najib’s predecessor and Najib is working hard to implement economic reforms to win back investment.
Malaysia was one of the worst-performing stock markets in Asia in 2009, ranked fourth from the bottom. Malaysia’s benchmark share index rose 45% in 2009.
During a meeting with investors in New York last year, Najib was asked about the government’s stand over the caning sentence meted out to a Muslim woman for drinking beer under rarely-enforced Islamic criminal laws. An escalation of religious tensions in Malaysia could weaken Najib’s ability to push through economic reforms.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/137/20100108/760/twl-q-a-what-s-next-after-church-attacks.html
[Update: On Jan 15, the US State Department issued a travel alert advising Americans to consider the risks associated with travel to Sabah in due to the threat from both terrorist and criminal groups.]
In God, we trust
By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani
The Malay culture is a testament of the early kingdoms and modern Malaysia, a mixture of different religious and cultural practices.
The traces of our history could be seen through the influence of Sanskrit and Arabic in Bahasa Malaysia.
Such influences include the Sanskrit word Tuhan.
Therefore it surprised me when some Muslims argue that if the Christians use the word ‘Allah’, it will deviate the religion and its followers.
If this is true, then is it blasphemous for Muslims to use the word Tuhan which is used to describe the Hindu deity?
Are our young Muslim children in danger of deviating from Islam when they the sing Negaraku and pledge the Rukunegara during the morning assembly?
Or have the imams all over Malaysia sinned when they recite, “Ya Allah, Ya Tuhanku,??? in their doa during Friday prayers?
The long fuse leading to the church fire bombings
By Dr. Lim Teck Ghee
A long lighted fuse led to the fire bombings. These were not isolated events done on sudden impulse. This was a part of the political calculus of racist and religiously bigoted leaders to drive home to their opponents that they can at any time incite their followers to whatever actions necessary to demonstrate their might and power.
This was a result of the long time pandering by Umno leaders to the extreme religious right wing.
This will continue to be a burning fuse kept alight by extremists feeding the public the delusion that Islam in Malaysia is faced by all kinds of imaginary enemies.
The art of doublespeak will undoubtedly be raised to higher levels. The long reach of the Internet … enables us to construct this roll of dishonour of those leaders who through their individual or collective acts – knowingly or unknowingly – are bringing the country to the brink.