Asia Evangelical Alliance (AEA) condemns the attack on three Churches with firebombs in Malaysia on 8 January 2010. The Muslim community gathered outside a mosque in Kuala Lumpur on Friday to protest a recent court ruling that overturned a government ban allowing Christians to use the word Allah as a translation for God. The government made no move to block the unauthorized rallies, as it commonly does.
Malaysia is 60% Malay and Muslim however sizable minorities of Chinese and Indians practice Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism in this country of 28 million.
The word Allah is commonly used as a translation for the word ‘God’ in Malay-language texts and services. The Christian indigenous tribes in the remote states of Sabah and Sarawak chiefly use the word Allah for God.
In Arabic-speaking countries like Egypt and Syria and in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nations, the word Allah is used by Christians for God.
AEA appeals to the government to protect the life and property of its citizens and applauds the courts for upholding freedom of speech and age long tradition of using the word Allah for God by the Christian communities.
AEA calls upon the civil society all over the world to appeal to the government of Malaysia to maintain peace protect property of its citizens and uphold freedom of speech.
Please write to:
Prime Minister of Malaysia
Honourable Najib Tun Razak
The Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia,
Tel: 603-8888 8000.
Fax: 603-8888 3444