ASIA/MALAYSIA - 10th church attacked by vandals, random acts of violence continue occurring

Johor (Agenzia Fides) – Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church in Johor, a city in southern Malaysia (in the State of Malacca), was attacked by vandals last night. Johor is the city hosting the meeting of the Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. This is what Fides learns from Fr. Augustine Julian, Secretary of the Bishops' Conference. At dawn today, the vandals entered the building, smearing red paint on the outer walls of the building and on a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that is outside the church. The pastor called the local police, who issued a report of the incident and started an investigation.
This is the tenth attack on a Christian church since January 8, following a dispute over the name "Allah," which led to the Catholic Church's opposition to the Malaysian government regarding the use of the term in the publication of the weekly “Herald,” in the Malay language.
Another episode has shaken the Christian community in Malaysia still in the early hours of the night: the Kuala Lumpur office of lawyers following the trial on the use of the word "Allah" and who defended the “Herald” in court has been sacked by unidentified persons. According to lawyer S. Selvarajah, the office door was forced open and documents were strewn on the floor, a laptop computer stolen...
"These are acts of intimidation, which occur just when you are looking for a peaceful and legal solution to the question of the use of the word Allah," Fr. Julian told Fides. "They are sporadic and isolated incidents, sure, but very frustrating, with the aim of increasing tension." The Christian community, says "it will not fall into this trap" and the bishops have confirmed their appeal for calm and prayer issued in recent days.
According to Father Julian, there is also a connection with another incident of attack religious minorities: stones were hurled against a Sikh temple (religion professed by the ethnic Indian minority in Malaysia) yesterday: "It happens because the Sikhs also use the name Allah in their worship," the Secretary of the Bishops' Conference told Fides, condemning these "forms of intolerance towards non-Islamic religious minorities." (PA) (Agenzia Fides 14/1/2010)