2010 attacks against places of worship in Malaysia
Encyclopedia
Attacks against places of worship in Malaysia were carried out in January 2010 in response to Malaysia v. The Herald, a controversial court decision holding government regulations prohibiting non-Muslim publications from using the word 'Allah' to be unconstitutional. The government and many religious leaders condemned the attacks and called for calm and unity among Malaysians. The police are conducting investigations into the attacks and several arrests and prosecutions have been made.
Three churches in Kuala Lumpur were subject to an arson
attack. One suffered considerable damage; witnesses saw two individuals throwing "something looking like a petrol bomb". As a result, the police stepped up security at all churches.
On 8 January 2010, preparations for another attack were found at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Jalan Othman which is located about 1.5 km from the Assumption Church in Jalan Templer. In the early morning of Sunday, 10 January 2010, the All Saints' Church at Taiping and a Catholic Convent school
were shocked with the discovery of Molotov cocktails near church grounds. Black paint was thrown at the Malacca Baptist Church in Durian Daun.
Sunday worship at targeted churches went on smoothly just a few days after the attacks. The Metro Tabernacle Church, which was badly damaged in the attack on January 8, held services at the Wisma MCA’s Dewan San Choon and churchgoers were said to be, "somber but joyful." Roughly 1,700 members of the Protestant church packed the hall for joint Mandarin and English services.
Apart from Christian churches, a Muslim surau in Klang
, Selangor
and a Sikh
gurdwara
in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur were also attacked on 10 January 2010 and 12 January 2010 respectively. In a later incident, a rum
bottle was thrown into the compound of a mosque in Sarawak on 16 January 2010.
While authorities have denied any links to these attacks with the spate of church attacks, Sikhs also use the term Allah to describe God in the Punjabi language
and the Malaysian Gurdwaras Council unsuccessfully sought to be a party to the Malaysia v. The Herald.
coalition and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat
parties, including the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), who labelled the attacks as contradicting the teachings of Islam have united in condemnation of these attacks.
Najib visited the church most badly damaged in the attacks, the Protestant Metro Tabernacle church in Kuala Lumpur and promised a grant of RM500,000 to assist with recomstruction. CIMB Foundation donated an additional RM100,000 to the church.
The Malaysia Home Affairs Ministry met with over 60 foreign diplomats for a briefing to discuss the attacks and security issues on 11 January 2010. Secretary-General of the Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry, Mahmood Adam, emphasized that Malaysia is still a safe country and that daily life has not been significantly disrupted.“They wanted to know what the guarantees are that their safety and safety of others are ensured. Those are some of the issues raised but most importantly, they wanted to understand the situation here and we explained that Malaysia is totally different," the home minister said.
of the Pakatan Rakyat
coalition, stated that the UMNO
-controlled newspaper Utusan Malaysia
's "racist propaganda" over the Allah issue and "inflammatory rhetoric" both contributed to the spate of arson attacks. and that the publication must be held responsible.
PKR
vice-president Azmin Ali
has claimed that at least four UMNO members were involved in the arson attack on the Metro Tabernacle church.
The police and government officials have asked the public not to fan religious and ethnic tension by spreading rumors via the internet and text messages. Ismail said, "Please don’t play the fool by posting fake information on the Internet through Facebook, blogs or via SMS. Please come to us if you have any information."
Police are investigating posts on Facebook claiming to have witnessed the making of explosives used in the attacks. Police have warned that the claims may be a hoax. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar says that the police are also investigating reports of seditious and racially inflammatory activity on blogs. The student responsible for at least some of the posts has been arrested and released on bail.
Two brothers, Raja Mohamad Faizal Raja Ibrahim, aged 24, and Raja Mohamad Idzham Raja Ibrahim, aged 22, also Muslim, were charged and convicted in the same attack. The pair were convicted of "mischief by fire" on 13 August 2010. Komathy Suppiah, a district court judge in Kuala Lumpur, presided over the trial. She called the attack "appalling and despicable" and told the brothers that their conduct, "...strikes at the very foundations and tenets of a civilised society." As of 17 August 2010 the brothers have not yet been sentenced but face a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison.
Attacks
A total of 10 churches and few mosques have been attacked or vandalized since the 31 December 2009 decision in Malaysia vs. The Herald. Only one church has been seriously damaged and no deaths or major injuries have been reported.Three churches in Kuala Lumpur were subject to an arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
attack. One suffered considerable damage; witnesses saw two individuals throwing "something looking like a petrol bomb". As a result, the police stepped up security at all churches.
On 8 January 2010, preparations for another attack were found at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Jalan Othman which is located about 1.5 km from the Assumption Church in Jalan Templer. In the early morning of Sunday, 10 January 2010, the All Saints' Church at Taiping and a Catholic Convent school
SMK Convent Taiping
SMK Convent Taiping is an all girls secondary school. It was formerly known as the Taiping Convent School, and is currently located at Convent Lane, Kota, Taiping...
were shocked with the discovery of Molotov cocktails near church grounds. Black paint was thrown at the Malacca Baptist Church in Durian Daun.
Sunday worship at targeted churches went on smoothly just a few days after the attacks. The Metro Tabernacle Church, which was badly damaged in the attack on January 8, held services at the Wisma MCA’s Dewan San Choon and churchgoers were said to be, "somber but joyful." Roughly 1,700 members of the Protestant church packed the hall for joint Mandarin and English services.
| Institution | Religion / Denomination | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Tabernacle Assembly of God | Christian Christianity in Malaysia Christianity in Malaysia is a minority religion practised by 9.1% of the population , most living in East Malaysia. The major Christian denominations in Malaysia include the Anglicans, Baptists, Brethrens, non-denominational churches, independent Charismatic churches, Lutherans, Methodists,... (Assemblies of God Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination... ) |
Desa Melawati, Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million... |
8 January 2010 |
| Church of the Assumption | Christian (Roman Catholic Roman Catholicism in Malaysia The Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome.... ) |
Petaling Jaya Petaling Jaya Petaling Jaya is a Malaysian city originally developed as a satellite township for Kuala Lumpur comprising mostly residential and some industrial areas. It is located in the Petaling district of Selangor with an area of approximately 97.2 km². On 20 June 2006, Petaling Jaya was granted a... , Selangor Selangor Selangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west... |
8 January 2010 |
| The Life Chapel | Christian (Christian Brethren Christian Brethren of Malaysia The Christian Brethren of Malaysia, sometimes simply called the Brethren, are an aggregate of independent and autonomous Protestant Evangelical Christian churches in Malaysia, which are networked together through a set of shared Biblical doctrines and practices... ) |
Petaling Jaya, Selangor | 8 January 2010 |
| LCMS Good Shepherd Congregation | Christian (Lutheran Lutheran Church in Malaysia and Singapore The Lutheran Church in Malaysia and Singapore or LCMS is one of four Lutheran bodies in Malaysia. It currently has 52 congregations nationwide with a total of 8,453 baptized members and is the largest entirely Lutheran body in the country.... ) |
Petaling Jaya, Selangor | 9 January 2010 |
| Surau Taman Menara Maju | Islam Islam in Malaysia Malaysia is a multiracial country with Islam being the largest practiced religion, comprising approximately 61.4% Muslim adherents, or around 17 million people, as of 2010. Islam is declared as the "religion of the federation". Though there has been much debate on whether Malaysia is a secular... |
Klang Klang Klang , formerly known as Kelang, is the royal city and former capital of the state of Selangor, Malaysia. It is located within the Klang District in Klang Valley. It is located about 32 km to the west of Kuala Lumpur and 6 km east of Port Klang... , Selangor |
10 January 2010 |
| All Saints' Church | Christian (Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia Diocese of West Malaysia is an Anglican diocese which covers the entire West Malaysia. The Diocese of West Malaysia was founded in 8 April 1970, as DWM together with Diocese of Singapore split from Diocese of Singapore and Malaya... ) |
Taiping Taiping -Places:*Taiping Island , or Itu Aba Island, the largest of the Spratly Islands controlled by the Republic of China *Taiping, Perak, a town in the state of Perak, Malaysia*Taiping District... , Perak Perak Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay... |
10 January 2010 |
| Malacca Baptist Church | Christian (Baptist Malaysia Baptist Convention The Malaysia Baptist Convention is an association of Baptist churches in Malaysia. According to statistics provided by the Baptist World Alliance, 164 local congregations comprising 19,143 members are associated with the MBC .... ) |
Melaka Town, Melaka | 10 January 2010 |
| The Church of Good Shepherd | Christian (Anglican) | Miri Miri Miri is a city in northern Sarawak, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. It is the second largest city in Sarawak, with a population of about 300,000, and the government administrative centre of Miri District in Miri Division.... , Sarawak Sarawak Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which... |
10 January 2010 |
| SIB Seremban | Christian (Sidang Injil Borneo) | Seremban Seremban Seremban is the capital of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan, located within the district of Seremban, one of the seven districts of Negeri Sembilan. The town's administration is run by the Seremban Municipal Council or Majlis Perbandaran Seremban... , Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan, one of the 13 states that constitutes Malaysia, lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, just south of Kuala Lumpur and borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the south.... |
11 January 2010 |
| Gurdwara Sahib Sentul | Sikh Sikhism In Malaysia It is estimated that there are around 130,000 Sikhs in Malaysia.-Early Sikh Pioneers:Despite the popular belief that Sikhs were brought to the then Malaya as police and soldiers, historically it is proven that Sikhs were actually sent to Malaya as political prisoners... |
Sentul, Kuala Lumpur | 12 January 2010 |
| Church of St. Elizabeth | Christian (Roman Catholic Roman Catholicism in Malaysia The Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome.... ) |
Kota Tinggi Kota Tinggi Kota Tinggi is a town in the state of Johor of Malaysia, located around 42 kilometers north-east of Johor Bahru, on the road to Mersing. Hometown of Azizul Hanipah. Kota Tinggi can also be reached by ferry from Changi terminal in Singapore where tourists need to pass through the immigration check... , Johor Johor Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri... |
14 January 2010 |
| Grace Global Prayer Church | Christian (Independent Non-denominational Christianity In Christianity, nondenominational institutions or churches are those not formally aligned with an established denomination, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations... ) |
Seremban, Negeri Sembilan | 15 January 2010 |
| Unnamed mosque | Islam | Sarawak | 16 January 2010 |
Apart from Christian churches, a Muslim surau in Klang
Klang
Klang , formerly known as Kelang, is the royal city and former capital of the state of Selangor, Malaysia. It is located within the Klang District in Klang Valley. It is located about 32 km to the west of Kuala Lumpur and 6 km east of Port Klang...
, Selangor
Selangor
Selangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...
and a Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
gurdwara
Gurdwara
A Gurdwara , meaning the Gateway to the Guru, is the place of worship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism. A Gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib ....
in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur were also attacked on 10 January 2010 and 12 January 2010 respectively. In a later incident, a rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
bottle was thrown into the compound of a mosque in Sarawak on 16 January 2010.
While authorities have denied any links to these attacks with the spate of church attacks, Sikhs also use the term Allah to describe God in the Punjabi language
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
and the Malaysian Gurdwaras Council unsuccessfully sought to be a party to the Malaysia v. The Herald.
Political response
All major political parties in Malaysia consisting of the ruling Barisan NasionalBarisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
coalition and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat or PR is an informal Malaysian political coalition. It currently controls four state governments while in opposition to the ruling Barisan Nasional at the federal level....
parties, including the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), who labelled the attacks as contradicting the teachings of Islam have united in condemnation of these attacks.
Government reaction
Prime Minister Najib condemned the church bombings, directed police to increase security at all places of worship, and called for unity amongst the Malaysian people. The government will hold inter-faith dialogues including prominent religious leaders to find “common denominators of understanding.” Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said the government has already met separately with religious groups.Najib visited the church most badly damaged in the attacks, the Protestant Metro Tabernacle church in Kuala Lumpur and promised a grant of RM500,000 to assist with recomstruction. CIMB Foundation donated an additional RM100,000 to the church.
The Malaysia Home Affairs Ministry met with over 60 foreign diplomats for a briefing to discuss the attacks and security issues on 11 January 2010. Secretary-General of the Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry, Mahmood Adam, emphasized that Malaysia is still a safe country and that daily life has not been significantly disrupted.“They wanted to know what the guarantees are that their safety and safety of others are ensured. Those are some of the issues raised but most importantly, they wanted to understand the situation here and we explained that Malaysia is totally different," the home minister said.
Opposition reaction
Opposition leader, Anwar IbrahimAnwar Ibrahim
Anwar bin Ibrahim is a Malaysian politician who served as Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998. Early in his career, Anwar was a close ally of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad but subsequently emerged as the most prominent critic of Mahathir's government.In 1999, he was sentenced...
of the Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat or PR is an informal Malaysian political coalition. It currently controls four state governments while in opposition to the ruling Barisan Nasional at the federal level....
coalition, stated that the UMNO
United Malays National Organisation
The United Malays National Organisation, is Malaysia's largest political party; a founding member of the National Front coalition, which has played a dominant role in Malaysian politics since independence....
-controlled newspaper Utusan Malaysia
Utusan Malaysia
Utusan Malaysia is a Malay language pro-government newspaper in Malaysia. First published in Jawi, the newspaper is now published in romanised letters...
's "racist propaganda" over the Allah issue and "inflammatory rhetoric" both contributed to the spate of arson attacks. and that the publication must be held responsible.
PKR
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...
vice-president Azmin Ali
Mohamed Azmin Ali
Mohamed Azmin bin Ali is a Malaysian politician and currently the Member of Parliament for the Gombak as well as assemblyman for Bukit Antarabangsa in the Selangor State Assembly...
has claimed that at least four UMNO members were involved in the arson attack on the Metro Tabernacle church.
Local community and international reaction
The 2010 church attacks generated strong condemnation from Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Roughly 130 Muslim non-profit organizations and volunteer police officers have stepped forward to provide security for churches.Police investigation
Police say that eight suspects have been arrested in connection to the arson committed at the Metro Tabernacle Church in Desa Melawati. The first suspect was arrested when seeking treatment for burns on his chest and arms at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur. Information obtained during this arrest led to the capture of seven other suspects.The police and government officials have asked the public not to fan religious and ethnic tension by spreading rumors via the internet and text messages. Ismail said, "Please don’t play the fool by posting fake information on the Internet through Facebook, blogs or via SMS. Please come to us if you have any information."
Police are investigating posts on Facebook claiming to have witnessed the making of explosives used in the attacks. Police have warned that the claims may be a hoax. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar says that the police are also investigating reports of seditious and racially inflammatory activity on blogs. The student responsible for at least some of the posts has been arrested and released on bail.
Prosecutions
Azuwan Shah, a Malaysia Muslim, was prosecuted for his alleged role in starting a fire at a Protestant church on 8 January 2010 but acquitted due to lack of evidence in July of the same year. Two witnesses said Azuwan was not at the church when the fire started.Two brothers, Raja Mohamad Faizal Raja Ibrahim, aged 24, and Raja Mohamad Idzham Raja Ibrahim, aged 22, also Muslim, were charged and convicted in the same attack. The pair were convicted of "mischief by fire" on 13 August 2010. Komathy Suppiah, a district court judge in Kuala Lumpur, presided over the trial. She called the attack "appalling and despicable" and told the brothers that their conduct, "...strikes at the very foundations and tenets of a civilised society." As of 17 August 2010 the brothers have not yet been sentenced but face a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison.