The banner says it all.. Scenes outside the Shah Alam mosque today after Friday prayers where protestors gathered to make their views known
The Metro Tabernacle church in Desa Melawati, Kuala Lumpur, that
was attacked by arsonists at midnight on Jan 7, 2010, destroying
the ground floor administrative office. Tourism Minister Datuk Seri
Dr Ng Yen Yen is seen talk to reporters outside the protestant
church.
Small groups of Muslims rallied after Friday prayers today to protest against Christians using the word "Allah" for God after a spate of attacks on churches that threatened to stoke racial and religious tensions.
The groups proceeded with small protests after Friday prayers at a number of major mosques in the city amid strong police presence following the arson attacks earlier today.
In Kampung Baru, where organisers had wanted to hold a major protest against the recent High Court ruling allowing the word "Allah" to be used by a Catholic weekly in its Bahasa Malaysia section, about 200 members of Muslim NGOs held a brief demonstration.
The protesters carried banners with the words "Don't challenge Islam", "Do not test our patience" and "Allah is only for us" while some group leaders gave emotional speeches.
Zaim Shari, a leader from the Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia, in his speech, said the ruling was akin to an "invasion" by foreign forces. "Our soil has been invaded, our faith threatened, we must not let this happen," shouted Zaim in the middle of the protest which was held immediately after Friday prayers.
Later at a press conference, Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia leader Mohd Raimi Ab Rahim said the use of the world “Allah” by non-Muslims is a highly sensitive issue and many Muslims had grown uneasy.
Temperatures have soared and the country's security was tightened following the shocking arson attacks on three churches in the Klang Valley early this morning.
Leaders from both sides of the political divide have condemned the attacks, triggering a blame game with opposition leaders pointing fingers at their political rivals in Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) for nurturing the rising tension. BN leaders have vehemently denied any role in the fiasco.
Mohd Raimi and his peers from other Islamic NGOs, commenting on the attacks, said it was too early to conclude if the arson was done by Muslims.
"We do not condone the attacks but let the police do their investigation first before we come to any conclusion. We still do not know if the attacks were done by Muslims.
"There are also Christians who disagree with the usage of ‘Allah’," he said. "In the meantime, we will take the peaceful approach of engaging the Catholics to resolve this matter," he said.
Malaysian Muslims are divided over the issue, with some saying there was nothing wrong in allowing the church to use the word "Allah," as is the practice in other Muslim countries.
Even among the grassroots, Muslims are polarised in opposite groups. This was reflected at the protest in Kampung Baru when a group of Muslims had called on others to ignore the protest and blamed the group for the attacks on the churches.
"These people are fanatics and their teachings are wrong. Ignore them," said one unidentified man.
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