Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has expressed outrage over the arson attacks on churches in several states since last Friday, also blaming the federal government for having added to the situation.
In a statement, he criticised the attack on the All Saints Church in Taiping - the country’s oldest - as an attack on the nation’s heritage.
Citing verses from the Quran, he said Muslims must follow the Islamic tradition of “remarkable commitment to understanding and coexistence with the (others of the Abrahamic faiths)”.
“The Caliph Umar…was careful to ensure that Muslims respected the sanctity of Christian places of worship. Why then our own police force’s hesitation to offer an assurance of safety and security for Malaysian churches?” he asked.
Anwar also reminded Malaysians that the God worshipped by Muslims and Christians is indeed the same, citing the 29th chapter of the Quran which reads: And dispute not the People of the Book, but say, ‘We believe in the Revelation which has come down to us and that which has come down to you…our God (Allah) and your God (Allah) is One, and it is to him we bow’.
He blamed the Umno-led BN government, whose “incessant racist propaganda over the Allah issue” has aggravated the matter.
Anwar also hit out at the “government-controlled mainstream media, especially, Utusan Malaysia” for issuing “inflammatory rhetoric”.
“Such wanton acts of provocation are indeed criminal and demonstrate the duplicity of the 1Malaysia campaign,” he said.
He lauded the swift condemnation of the attacks by Muslim leaders and organisations, as well as the call for calm, forgiveness and resistance of retaliation by Christian leaders.
“We must now advance the spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood which is inherent in our religions and enshrined in our constitution…Our fellow (Malaysians) must feel safe and secure in this country knowing that their freedom to worship is protected,” he said.
‘Dialogue long overdue’
The way to end the conflict is not by burning churches, he said, but through an interfaith dialogue which is long overdue in Malaysia.
“As a nation we struggle to uphold the spirit of unity that our founding fathers envisioned at independence…In such times the spirit of engagement and dialogue must transcend those voices that would seek to sow discord and enmity across out land.”
The government yesterday announced that it will hold dialogues among religious leaders to reach a common understanding, in an attempt to defuse the tension.
To date eight churches have been targets of attempted arson nationwide, with the most recent attack being on the Sidang Injil Borneo church in Seremban yesterday.
The attacks are a response to the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s ruling last month, which lifted the ban on the use of the word ‘Allah’ by Malay edition of the Catholic weekly magazine Herald.
The Home Ministry has since obtained a stay of execution based on consent from the publisher, pending an appeal.
The magazine, which is printed in four languages, has been using the word 'Allah' as a translation for 'God' in its Malay-language section, but the government argued 'Allah' should be used only by Muslims.
The term 'Allah' is widely used among Christian indigenous peoples in Sabah and Sarawak, many of whom speak Bahasa Malaysia.
MK
12/01/2010
In a statement, he criticised the attack on the All Saints Church in Taiping - the country’s oldest - as an attack on the nation’s heritage.
Citing verses from the Quran, he said Muslims must follow the Islamic tradition of “remarkable commitment to understanding and coexistence with the (others of the Abrahamic faiths)”.
“The Caliph Umar…was careful to ensure that Muslims respected the sanctity of Christian places of worship. Why then our own police force’s hesitation to offer an assurance of safety and security for Malaysian churches?” he asked.
Anwar also reminded Malaysians that the God worshipped by Muslims and Christians is indeed the same, citing the 29th chapter of the Quran which reads: And dispute not the People of the Book, but say, ‘We believe in the Revelation which has come down to us and that which has come down to you…our God (Allah) and your God (Allah) is One, and it is to him we bow’.
He blamed the Umno-led BN government, whose “incessant racist propaganda over the Allah issue” has aggravated the matter.
Anwar also hit out at the “government-controlled mainstream media, especially, Utusan Malaysia” for issuing “inflammatory rhetoric”.
“Such wanton acts of provocation are indeed criminal and demonstrate the duplicity of the 1Malaysia campaign,” he said.
He lauded the swift condemnation of the attacks by Muslim leaders and organisations, as well as the call for calm, forgiveness and resistance of retaliation by Christian leaders.
“We must now advance the spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood which is inherent in our religions and enshrined in our constitution…Our fellow (Malaysians) must feel safe and secure in this country knowing that their freedom to worship is protected,” he said.
‘Dialogue long overdue’
The way to end the conflict is not by burning churches, he said, but through an interfaith dialogue which is long overdue in Malaysia.
“As a nation we struggle to uphold the spirit of unity that our founding fathers envisioned at independence…In such times the spirit of engagement and dialogue must transcend those voices that would seek to sow discord and enmity across out land.”
The government yesterday announced that it will hold dialogues among religious leaders to reach a common understanding, in an attempt to defuse the tension.
To date eight churches have been targets of attempted arson nationwide, with the most recent attack being on the Sidang Injil Borneo church in Seremban yesterday.
The attacks are a response to the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s ruling last month, which lifted the ban on the use of the word ‘Allah’ by Malay edition of the Catholic weekly magazine Herald.
The Home Ministry has since obtained a stay of execution based on consent from the publisher, pending an appeal.
The magazine, which is printed in four languages, has been using the word 'Allah' as a translation for 'God' in its Malay-language section, but the government argued 'Allah' should be used only by Muslims.
The term 'Allah' is widely used among Christian indigenous peoples in Sabah and Sarawak, many of whom speak Bahasa Malaysia.
MK
12/01/2010
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