ASIA/MALAYSIA - “There is an effort to fan the flames of religious conflict,” says Church in Malaysia, awaiting meeting between Prime Minister and Archbishop

Kuala Lumpur (Agenzia Fides) – In Malaysia, several individuals or groups of provocateurs are seeking to fan the flames of religious conflict. The technique is well known: they hit and profane places of worship and symbols that are closest to the heart of believers, to provoke a reaction and light the fuse of the clash. The same dynamic occurred in Indonesia in the past (e.g. the conflict in the Moluccas), Nigeria, India and in other places, where incidents of vandalism have triggered violent reactions, degenerating into open conflict among communities and resulting in dead and wounded. "There is concern now that extremist individuals or groups are seeking to foment sectarian hatred in Malaysia by using the case of the controversial use of the name Allah for non-Muslims," Fides was told by Fr. Augustine Julian, Secretary of the Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.
After the vandalism against 11 churches, a Sikh temple, a mosque, and two Muslim prayer rooms, episodes which occurred between January 8 and 21, as documented by the Fides, the violence continues to extend. Yesterday, unidentified persons desecrated two mosques in a suburb of Kuala Lumpur: Masjid Jumhuriyah and Al-Imam Tirmizi, scattering several pig heads (an animal considered unclean by Muslims) in the temples, and generating disappointment in the Malay Muslim community.
Police have established the facts and started investigations. Malaysian Domestic Affairs Minister Seri Hishammuddin Hussein spoke publicly asking the people, especially the Muslims, to have patience and await the search for the culprits. "We are very determined. I suspect that the goal is to lead the country into chaos. They want to cause clashes between communities of different ethnicity and religion," said the Minister.
"We are, nevertheless, comforted by the fact that public opinion strongly condemns these acts and does not seem to follow those who provoke them. The situation is under control," Fr. Julian tells Fides.
Expressing solidarity with the Islamic community, the “Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism,” an organization which promotes interfaith dialogue, recalled that "all violence against a place of worship is a grave sin." "The purpose of these acts is to provoke a clash between the religious communities in the country. But all citizens who love peace and legality must not allow this to happen. Remain united," reads a statement sent to Fides.
Meanwhile, as for the case on the name of Allah, the government has shown its willingness to reach a negotiated settlement with the Catholic Church, without continuing the legal battle. The country now awaits the meeting between Prime Minister Najib Razak and the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, which could be decisive for the situation. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 28/1/2009)