The Christian Federation of Malaysia strongly and unreservedly condemns the violent attacks and attempted ones of fire-bombing several churches in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya in the early hours of this morning (8 January 2010).

We are against such actions that seek to intimidate people and also to rend the fabric of peace and goodwill in our country.

Thus far this afternoon, we have been informed that there were three torching and attempted torching of churches. The administrative office of Metro Tabernacle in Desa Melawati was completely gutted. The Molotov cocktail thrown at the Church of the Assumption along Jalan Templer in Petaling Jaya did not explode. But The Life Chapel in Section 17 Petaling Jaya suffered some damage to the church’s front porch area.

We call on the Government and all peace-loving Malaysians to stand against such violence and not to give way to extremists in our midst who would want to throw our country into chaos.

We call on the police to continue to maintain the peace and security of our land in which all of us so cherish and love. May the police bring to justice quickly those who have been involved in such acts of torching churches which is a violation of the houses of God in our land.

Christians are a peace-loving people and so we will remain calm and rely on our police officers to investigate and to arrest the criminals involved and to protect all Malaysians against violence and criminal intimidation. We are concerned that the hacking of the judiciary website is an act of criminal intimidation against the judiciary and this shameful act along with the acts of violence against churches must not be condoned.

Let us as Christians and with our fellow Malaysians pray that despite such atrocious acts perpetrated upon the churches good sense will prevail in us. Let us not allow those who want to foment animosity among the peoples and the religious communities to triumph in their dastardly plans. May we stand together against the tide of violent people and their evil plans.

We will continue to pray for peace in Malaysia.

Bishop Ng Moon Hing,  Chairman and the Executive Committee of the
Christian Federation of Malaysia

NO ISA! Charge Them And Bring Them To Justice!

Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI) expresses condemnation towards the statement by the Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein and Inspector General of the Police (IGP), Musa Hassan that the government and the police would not hesitate to use the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) against those who were responsible for the bombing of the 3 churches in Klang Valley which have been linked to protests against the recent “Allah” ruling.

GMI recognizes that irresponsible individuals and groups have and may further resort to violence, and that this might lead to chaos in the country. We understand the need to be tough against criminals. In fact, GMI urges the government to bring the culprits who have been trying to incite intolerance among the races in Malaysia to justice by not using the ISA or any form of detention without trial laws. Instead, proper investigation should be take place immediately. The use of the ISA and any other detention without trial acts will not resolve the real problem; instead it will only cause more fear and insecurity among the citizens in Malaysia.

Therefore, we strongly condemn the use of the draconian ISA in making the arrest as any form of detention without trial is in violation of basic human rights and blatantly circumvents the rule of law.

GMI would like to remind the government that the ISA makes a mockery of the principle of presumption of innocent until proven guilty; it unjustly denies our civil liberties; it allows for detention without trial and thus denies natural justice. Worse still, it creates conditions for torture and other degrading forms of treatment while under detention.

GMI calls upon the government to stop arresting people under the ISA , abolish the draconian law, and release all ISA detainees or to charge them in court.

Abolish ISA!

Release All The Detainees!

Close Down Kamunting!

Released By,

Nalini.E

Secretary GMI

THEMICAHMANDATE

The cowardly and utterly senseless act of a group of misguided, chauvinistic bigots in torching at least three churches in the Klang Valley this morning must be condemned in no uncertain terms by all peace loving Malaysians.

This act of arson, committed presumably in the name of Islam desecrates the very religion it purports to protect. The Holy Quran unequivocally prohibits destroying the houses of worship of all religions, as warned in Surah Al-Hajj, Verse 40.

“… Had not Allah checked the excesses and aggression of one set of people by means of another, surely would be destroyed monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated …”

During the reign of Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second righteous caliph, the religious freedom of the citizens of Ilya (Jerusalem) and the sanctity of their synagogues and places of worship were confirmed: “This is the protection which the slave-servant of Allah, Umar, the Commander of the Believers, extends to the people of Ilya: The safeguarding of their lives, properties, churches, crosses, and of their entire community. Their churches cannot be occupied, demolished, or damaged, nor are their crosses or anything belonging to them to be touched. They will never be forced to abandon their religion, nor will they be oppressed …” (At-Tabari, Tarikh, Vol III, p. 609, ed. Dar Al-Ma`arif, Egypt.)

In the light of these tragic turn of events, the Muslim Professionals Forum:

1. Demand the authorities to immediately conduct an impartial and thorough investigation to identify , apprehend and punish the perpetrators of this despicable violence lest the country spirals into a vicious cycle of retaliatory acts which would fracture the very fabric of Malaysian civil society.
2. Urge the authorities to either refuse or revoke the permit for the planned demonstration in order to contain the heightened emotions and sensitivities from among the Muslim quarters, angered by the recent high court decision on the usage of the word Allah.
3. Urge individuals, organisations and political parties to refrain from further issuing provocative and inflammatory statements related to the high court verdict.
4. Urge all Malaysians to emphatise and stand in solidarity with our Christian community in their hour of grief and need.
5. Urge all peace loving Malaysians to maintain composure and let cool heads prevail.

May Allah guide us all in this most troubling times.

Board of Directors
Muslim Professionals Forum

Dr. Mazeni Alwi,  Dr. Shaikh Johari Bux
Haji Mohamed Ali Ghazali
Dr. Jeffrey Abu Hassan
Dato’ Dr. Musa Mohd. Nordin

Dear Mr Prime Minister, you have failed me.

This is not a letter to tell you where you went wrong. You should already know that by now and if you don’t, many will gladly bring you up to speed.

But this is a letter to tell you what you have done to an ordinary Malaysian like me.

I voted against your government in the last elections but when you came into power, I allowed myself a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, I was wrong about you.

That, just maybe, this time, the perceived enemy would be an ally in disguise. That, just maybe, 1 Malaysia wouldn’t be the joke at which everyone laughed.

Change needs time and maybe, just maybe, that was what was necessary. So, against my better judgement, I let myself believe in possibilities.

Then racism reared its head and the moment of truth arrived in the form of cow-head protestors, BTN and the “Allah” issue.

You couldn’t have asked for more perfect opportunity to prove that you are more than just a string of clever words. It was your chance to leave a legacy by uniting the nation to stand up against the real enemies – ignorance and fear.

Instead you did nothing, and by doing that, you turned us against each other.

I’m sure you have your litany of reasons for acting the way you have but those reasons don’t interest me. All I know is that, when it really mattered, you made me feel like I didn’t.

When it came to delivering on your “People First” promise, you chose who those people would be.

When it came to “Performance Now”, you failed to see the sense of urgency.

You became everything you told us not to be. To me, you are nothing more than the wizard of Oz.

There was a time when I believed in this country. When I couldn’t imagine making a home anywhere else. When I was proud to hold a Malaysian passport. When I felt warmth each time I heard the pilot announce, “Welcome to Kuala Lumpur International Airport”. When I took pride in showing off my country to foreign friends who marvelled at how Malaysians lived so peacefully in diversity. Those days are gone.

So forget about how this will affect tourism and FDIs, and think instead about the damage it has done to an ordinary Malaysian like me.

You have made a mockery out of my trust, patriotism and faith. You have made me feel unwelcome in my own home. You have made me feel ashamed to be Malaysian.

My heart breaks at what you have done to my country. Then again, I’m not even sure if I can still call it my country anymore.

* Stephanie Sta Maria is a reader of The Malaysian Insider.

‘I am surprised that we suddenly have a PM who is unable to stop protests when all this while the cops and FRU units are able to stand guard when it concerns the opposition parties.’

You signed up and joined us and said you want CHANGE. Today YOU CAN DO SOMETHING. NOT violence but PRAY & SPEAK OUT in support against the violence. Tell your Muslim friends to join you to speak against the Muslim radicals. They are wrong and even their Qu’ran says so. Do read the articles below. There are pictures of the burned church in Melawati and many organizations speaking against this act. Let’s be onboard for Justice. Please I beg all of you, let’s PRAY and not use slandering words to our Muslim brothers and sisters as most of them are not part of this. Let’s show love in time when it seems hard to do because that is LOVE.

Update on Arson Attacks on Churches – Marina Mahatir

Folks, I went to the Desa Melawati Metro Tabernacle Church this morning to take a look. What I saw made me want to cry. I have never seen hate like this in Malaysia in my entire life.

There were a few of my friends there as well as people who attended the church. Some people were quietly emotional but most were very sad but very calm. The press were there but they were more interested in Khairy Jamaluddin than me but that’s OK. (It so happens that my assistant in my office, who has been with me for 20 years, attends the same church which I didn’t know til I came back to the office.)

A Malay couple came up to me and said they were local residents and very sad by this stupid incident. They said that Desa Melawati is and has been very 1 Malaysia for a long time. Their favourite coffeeshop is right in front of the church. The church is on a corner. On one side it faces a field and on the other side of the field is what looked like a surau to me. Typical Malaysian neighbourhood.

This morning I sms’d lots and lots of people, all Muslims, to canvass them regarding condemning this terrible act. Unanimously they have all agreed that this act is unIslamic. I am trying to organise all those individual voices into a statement or petition of some kind and I hope more will sign up.

Meantime various friends and I have been encouraging people to find ways to show solidarity and support. These were some ideas:

* Some young Muslims are keen to go help clean up the mess after the fire at the church. It was not possible this morning because the area was still cordoned off but we are keeping tabs on when the churches will be ready to start clean up.

* Someone has asked for 1-3 minutes of prayer every hour on the hour to give people time to pause and reflect.

* Many of us have been tweeting what we know but also refuting some nasty rumours that are going around.

The best news was that the planned demos at the mosques have failed miserably. At Masjid Negara, there were only 200 people or so. At Kampung Baru there were about 20. I was at AlJazeera TV giving an interview this afternoon and the people there told me that the organiser of the Kampung Baru demo had said yesterday he was expecting 5000 people. Plus there were another group of people who urged people not to join the demo because they said the demonstrators are fanatics, and also accused them of the arsons.

Apart from political parties, groups like the Christian Federation of Malaysia and the Muslim Professionals Forum have issued statements condemning the arson.

One of the most anguished posts on this event comes from Art Harun here.

Tonight there will be a quiet prayer vigil at the Luther Centre in PJ.

Tomorrow a goodwill gathering at Jalan Bukit Bintang will take place. Info here.

Anas Zubedy has just posted an email I wrote Muslim friends to ask for their support to condemn the arson.Since he’s done that I might as well reproduce it here:

Dear friends,

Today is a very sad day for Malaysia. Last night at least three churches were attacked by unknown people with incendiary devices. The ground floor of the Metro Tabernacle Church in Desa Melawati was totally destroyed. (See pix). It was heartbreaking to see.

There is nothing in Islam that says that we are to treat the houses of worship of any faith with such disrespect. Surah 22, Verse 40 of the Quran says:

22:40 (Asad) those who have been driven from their homelands against all right for no other reason than their saying. “Our Sustainer is God!” For, if God had not enabled people to defend themselves against one another, all] monasteries and churches and synagogues and mosques – in [all of] which Gods name is abundantly extolled – would surely have been destroyed [ere now]. And God will most certainly succour him who suc­cours His cause: for, verily, God is most powerful, almighty, -

Any place where ‘God’s name is abundantly extolled’ must be protected.

It is time for the silent majority of Muslims, who reject fanaticism and extremism, who favour dialogue and debate rather than violence, to be heard. We can no longer remain quiet if we love our religion and our country.

We should not let a small gang of thugs and hooligans speak in the name of Malaysian Muslims. We are NOT a religion of gangsters. We are a religion of peace, justice and equality. Do not let these people hijack Islam for their own ends.

The Government needs to know that there is a substantial number of us who disagree with the violence and harsh words. Our fellow Malaysians especially Christians need to know that we deplore these acts and mean them no harm.

As Muslims, it is up to us to be magnanimous and to extend the hand of peace to our fellow citizens and reassure them that this act is an aberration and we abhor it.

Thank you.

Salams,

Marina

Posted by MarinaM at 6:51 PM

***More updates in a few hours.. stay tuned.

I caught up with Pastor Jit Pang, the guy behind the I LOVE Kluang initiative today to find out what has been happening in his city, and in this day and age where many of us are simply cynical that our country will ever change, I came away inspired that a bunch of young Malaysians were willing to step out humbly with a heart that said, I will do my part to change the world.

1. Why was I LOVE Kluang started, and what is it about?

It actually started off as the Railway Line Project in April when some youth in the youth group I lead alerted me about a poor family eating only one meal per day. I wanted to love the community in a practical way, so I thought, why not we start feeding the one household we knew?

The next month, we discovered there were families living in a squatter area along the whole Railway Line and low cost housing areas in Kluang that lived in abject poverty, and we quickly multiplied our help to a dozen households.

After the Change Your World Event, a hundred over youths pledged to do something for Malaysia, and we decided to turn this into the I LOVE Kluang project because loving Kluang is exactly what we want to do…. (Click here for more of the interview)

I came across this quote here while doing my media analysis assignment today. A sense of urgency stirred within my heart again (I realize that when your eyes and ears are open, your spirit quickens much more easily).

It made me reexamine the way I am living my life: am I all puffed up, satisfied that I am more aware than others of things that are going on in our country, thinking I am already changing the world? Or am I ACTUALLY contributing to change?

I used to think that initiating change is a very stressful process. It made me feel inadequate and afraid. But God has shown me that Change does NOT require effort or sacrifice that is soooo big that it cripples us. Dreams can be overwhelming, but they should never incapacitate. God takes our little steps of obedience and faith to create ripple effects! We just need to be willing to act.

So awareness is good, but things must not stop there. A man that knows too much about a problem without taking action to correct it only makes things worse because the only thing he will be able to offer is negativity as the problem becomes bigger in his eyes.

Are you doing anything to address the problems you know of?

Jasmine Yow

CYW BLOG FACILITATOR