KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — A planned gathering of a million Muslims here to rally against Christians “challenging the sovereignty of Islam” this Saturday could raise religious tension that has intensified in recent months after alleged proselytising by Christians.
The Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun), or Gathering of a Million Faithful, is being organised by various right-wing groups such as Perkasa with the backing of both Umno and PAS Youth in what appears to be a coming together of conservative Muslims.
With ethnic tensions already rising in the years following the 2008 general election, it could raise already simmering fears of Islamisation among non-Muslims and more liberal Malays.
“There is no other choice but to rally Muslims,” Himpun said in a video promoting the gathering.
Distrust between Muslims and Christians peaked when the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) raided the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya on August 3, claiming it was proselytising Muslims.
This came after repeated disputes between church and mosque, such as the legal battle over the the use of the word Allah to refer to the Christian god.
An initial court ruling allowing the Catholic Church to use the term Allah had led to places of worship being firebombed in January last year.
The government also buckled under pressure and ordered the release of Malay-language bibles seized before Sarawakians, half of whom are Christians, voted in the April 16 state polls.
Before the Jais raid, Umno’s Utusan Malaysia and Malay rights lobby Perkasa accused the DAP of conspiring to turn Malaysia into a Christian state.
Although DUMC has denied Jais’ claims, Utusan Malaysia fanned the flames with allegations that Christian groups in Kuala Lumpur and Johor were actively trying to convert Muslims.
Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah appeared to close the case last week when decreeing that although Jais had found evidence of attempts to subvert Muslims, it was “insufficient” for further legal action.
But Himpun has insisted on following through with its plans that aims to “measure the level of unity and spirit of togetherness among Muslims especially towards Christianisation efforts including the August 3 incident.”
“The DUMC case shows how those trying to convert Muslims are becoming more aggressive,” Himpun co-president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid had said earlier this month.
Recent years have seen communal politics being stirred up after the landmark Election 2008 — the stiffest contest in Malaysian history.
With Barisan Nasional (BN) losing its customary two-thirds hold on Parliament and five state governments, several political leaders have retreated into racial silos to drum up support.
A Merdeka Center poll in June found that only 66 per cent of respondents said ethnic relations were “good” — a 15 per cent decline from the 78 per cent who said so five years ago.
The opinion researchers also found that just over a third believed that there was “sincere and friendly ethnic unity,” down from 54 per cent five years ago.
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