Jakarta Post (http://www.thejakartapost.com)
Muslim prayer hall painted by vandals in Malaysia ,
23 August 2010
by The Associated Press, Kuala Lumpur
Vandals splashed red paint on a Muslim prayer hall and left a broken beer bottle there Monday in Malaysia's first known attack on a place of worship since a string of similar incidents eight months ago.
Religious tensions soared in the Muslim-majority country after a court ruled that Malaysian Christians could use the word "Allah" in their literature to refer to God. Arson and vandalism were reported in January at 11 churches, a Sikh temple, three mosques and two Muslim prayer rooms.
The assaults abated after authorities stepped up patrols at places of worship and urged people not to undermine decades of amicable relations between the ethnic Malay Muslim majority and ethnic Chinese and Indians, who mostly practice Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism.
On Monday, police discovered paint on the walls of a small Muslim prayer building and broken glass from a beer bottle outside the hall in central Negri Sembilan state, said Mohamad Zaki Masroh, director of the state's criminal investigation department.
Officials have no suspects yet or any leads on a motive for the attack, he said, adding that he hoped the public would remain calm and allow police to investigate the case.
Late last year, The Herald, the newspaper of the Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia, challenged a government ban on using "Allah" in its Malay-language publication, arguing the word predates Islam and is used by Christians in other predominantly Muslim countries.
Some Muslims insist that using "Allah" in Christian literature might confuse Muslims and tempt them to convert.
The court's ruling last December has been appealed by the government.
Minorities sometimes complain their religious rights are not respected by the government, which denies any bias.
(End)
