1. Malaysiakini（http://www.malaysiakini.com）
(1) Christians urged to rejoice in hope amid adversity, 25 December 2011
by Terence Netto
Catholic Bishop Dr Paul Tan Chee Eng called on Christians “to put two years of foreboding caused by corrosive doubt over their fidelity to constitution and country behind them and embrace the hope of change and national renewal.”
In a year-end message to Christians celebrating Christmas and New Year, the head of the Catholic Church in the Melaka-Johor diocese, said:
“Christmas is the season of hope which is why though Christians feel that their loyalty to the constitution and country has been unfairly questioned over the last two years, I pray their predisposition to hope will overcome the challenges posed by political demagogues and religious charlatans.”
The Jesuit-trained prelate has been vocal on issues affecting Christians in the year drawing to an end after his assumption of the presidency of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia on Jan 1, 2011.
Catholics number 927,000 in a Christian population that is slightly over 9% of Malaysia’s total of 27.5 million people.
Bishop Paul observed that the last two years have been particularly trying for Christians as, first, the Catholic Church was at odds with the authorities over the right to use the term ‘Allah’ in their Bahasa Malaysia publications; and, later, Christian groups were accused, on dubious grounds, of proselytising among Muslims and of working to dethrone Islam as the country’s official religion.
“The combined effect of the two issues has left Christians with the feeling that they are a sinister and alien presence in this country when the truth is more nearly that in the education, health, and welfare fields, their contributions have been and continue to be of great benefit to the nation,” said Bishop Paul Tan.
Troubling times for Christian community
He urged Christians to imbue themselves with the spirit of Christmas which he said was to “cherish peace and goodwill, and to be plenteous in mercy.”
“A Christian is a person of hope, which means he or she believes in being patient in times of tribulation while persevering in prayer and redemptive effort.
“These are troubling times for the Christian community and the country at large, but because of a star that rose in Bethlehem two millennia ago, Christians nurture the hope that its gleam will redeem not only themselves but also the world,” said Bishop Paul Tan.
He reminded Christians that more than gifts and feasting, Christmas “holds its place in the hearts of humankind because they know that love is the greatest thing in the world.”
(2) Reverend hits out against 'bullying' of minority, 24 December 2011
by Aidila Razak
In a hard-hitting speech, the leader of a prominent Christian group in Malaysia today hit out at what he saw as evidence of "bullying" of the minority by the country's majority.
Officiating a Christmas hi-tea in Subang Jaya, National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) head Reverend Eu Hong Seng said majority rights are being given too much airplay.
"Today we are constantly reminded of the rights of the majority guaranteed under Article 153 of the constitution.
"I think we need to talk about the rights of others as well under Article 153. When we talk of the rights of (just) one group, if I may suggest, that is 'bullying'," he said.
Among the guests at today's festive event at the Subang Jaya Full Gospel Tabernacle was PKR de-facto leader Anwar Ibrahim (right).
The reverend, who is also Christian Federation of Malaysia vice chairperson, added that the rights of the majority also appear to be "shifting" that there is confusion over what is actually guaranteed.
"Personally, I am not too sure what rights (the majority) are talking about.
"I have no problem with the rights of the Malays and the sultans in the constitution, but I think what irks many of us are the shifting rights... rights as in 1990, year 2000 or the rights, after everything has been taken away, or rights as in the year when we first celebrated Merdeka," he said.
Speaking at the tail end of turbulent year for Christians in Malaysia, Eu quipped that the multiracial event at the compounds of the Full Gospel Tabernacle church is testament that "we can come together to respect each other beliefs... without fear of being raided".
Racism a 'malignant plight'
All the same, he said, racism remains a "malignant plight" of Malaysia with groups "promoting a racist cum religiously biased agenda to the detriment" of the nation.
He said that diversity, which was once Malaysia's strength is now a subject of malcontent in what appears to be a "self-created" problem.
He added that the practice of democracy means that elected representatives must "serve the people" and not "threaten the people and get away with it" as they do now.
"This should not be so and we the people of the book are not afraid to say so.
"We, the church, believe that in spite of fear-mongering, we can have peace and no one need to be fearful in this nation," he said.
The event, attended by politicians from both sides of the divide also included a reading from a chapter of the Malay-language Bible, al-Kitab.
Al-Kitab had been the subject of controversy earlier this year, with the government finally conceding that it can be printed locally as long as the words 'For Christians only' are stamped on the front page.
Last year, the annual hi-tea was attended by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
His aide had then requested the removal of any crucifix from the venue of the event - a move which did not sit well with the Christian community.
'Don't give face to extremists'
Najib, who is on leave today, was represented by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Koh Tsu Koon.
In his speech, Koh said the extreme voices in Malaysia should not be given "face or space".
"Good deeds of those who do good work...go unnoticed and we get upset over voices who utter words of extremity.
"We should repeat voices of reason and compassion," he said.
Asked later if he had meant vocal Malay-rights group Perkasa, Koh said his statement was in "general" against all extreme voices.
"Siapa makan cabai dia akan terasa pedasnya. (The person who eats the chilli will feel the heat)
"Ignore them and don't engage in a war of words with them as this is what they want.”
He added that the nation is like a married couple learning to understand each other, and that we should further engage each other to settle our misunderstandings.
2. Hudson New York
（http://www.hudson-ny.org/2676/muslim-persecution-of-christians-november-2011）
Muslim Persecution of Christians: November 2011, 21 December 2011
by Raymond Ibrahim
The so-called "Arab Spring" continues to transition into a "Christian Winter," including in those nations undergoing democratic change, such as Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis dominated the elections—unsurprisingly so, considering the Obama administration has actually been training Islamists for elections.
Arab regimes not overthrown by the "Arab Spring" are under mounting international pressure; these include the secular Assad regime of Syria, where Christians, who comprise some 10% of the population, are fearful of the future, having seen the effects of democracy in neighboring nations such as Iraq, where, since the fall of the Saddam regime, Christians have been all but decimated.
Meanwhile, it was revealed that "Christians are being refused refugee status [in the U.S.] and face persecution and many times certain death for their religious beliefs under Sharia, while whole Muslim communities are entering the U.S. by the tens of thousands per month despite the fact that they face no religious persecution."
Categorized by theme, November's batch of Muslim persecution of Christians around the world includes (but is not limited to) the following accounts, listed according to theme and in alphabetical order by country, not necessarily severity.
Churches
Ethiopia: More than 500 Muslim students assisted by Muslim police burned down a church, while screaming "Allahu Akbar" (and thus clearly positing their attack in an Islamic framework); the church was built on land used by Christians for more than 60 years, but now a court has ruled that it was built "without a permit."
Indonesia: Hundreds of "hard-line" Muslims rallied to decry the "arrogance" of a beleaguered church that, though kept shuttered by authorities, has been ordered open by the Supreme Court. Church members have been forced to hold services on the sidewalk, even as Indonesia's leading Muslim clerics warned Christians that it would be "wise and sensible" for the church to yield to "the feelings of the local believers, specifically Muslims."
Iran: The nation's minister of intelligence said that house churches in his country are a threat to Iranian youth, and acknowledged a new series of efforts to fight the growth of the house church movement in Iran.
Nigeria: Islamic militants shouting "Allahu Akbar" carried out coordinated attacks on churches and police stations, including opening fire on a congregation of "mostly women and children," killing dozens. The attacks occurred in a region where hundreds of people were earlier killed during violence that erupted after President Jonathan, a Christian, beat his closet Muslim rival in April elections.
Turkey: The ancient Aghia Sophia church has been turned into a mosque. Playing an important role in ecumenical history, the church was first transformed into a mosque in 1331 by the jihadist Ottoman state. As a sign of secularization, however, in 1920 it was turned into a museum. Its transformation again into a mosque is a reflection of Turkey's re-Islamization.
Apostasy and Proselytism
Afghanis around the world are being threatened for leaving Islam and converting to Christianity. One exile, who changed his name after fleeing Afghanistan in 2007 when an Islamic court issued an arrest warrant for his conversion, is still receiving threats: "They [Afghan officials] were very angry and saying that they will hit me by knife and kill me." Even in distant Norway last September, an Afghan convert to Christianity was scalded with boiling water and acid at a refugee processing center: "If you do not return to Islam, we will kill you," his attackers told him.
Algeria: Five Christians were jailed for "worshiping in an unregistered location." International Christian Concern (ICC), an advocacy group investigating the case, states that the five Christians are charged with "proselytizing," "unauthorized worship," and "insulting Islam."
Iran: Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, who caught the attention of the world after being imprisoned and awaiting execution for leaving Islam, remains behind bars as officials continue to come up with excuses to force him to renounce Christianity, the latest being that "everyone is [born] a Muslim." A Christian couple "who had been snatched and illegally-detained" by authorities for eight months without any formal charges, were finally released, beaten again, and have since fled the country. While imprisoned, they were "ridiculed and debased" for their Christian faith.
Kashmir: Muslim police arrested and beat seven converts from Islam in an attempt to obtain a confession against the priest who baptized them. After the grand mufti alleged that Muslim youths were alternatively being "lured" and "forced" to convert by an Anglican priest "in exchange for money," the priest was arrested in a "humiliating" manner. Recently released, his life is now "in serious danger."
Kenya: A gang of Muslims stabbed and beat with iron rods a 25-year-old Somali refugee, breaking his teeth; he was then stripped naked, covered with dirt, and left unconscious near a church. Although he was raised Christian since age 7, he was attacked on the "assumption that as a Somali he was born into Islam and was therefore an apostate deserving of death."
Nigeria: The Muslim militant group, Boko Haram, executed two children of an ex-terrorist and "murderer" because he converted to Christianity. When still a terrorist, he "was poised to slit the throat of a Christian victim" when "he was suddenly struck with the weight of the evil he was about to commit." After finding he converted to Christianity, "Boko Haram members invaded his home, kidnapped his two children and informed him that they were going to execute them in retribution for his disloyalty to Islam. Clutching his phone, the man heard the sound of the guns that murdered his children."
General Killings
Egypt: After a Christian inadvertently killed a Muslim in a quarrel begun by the latter, thousands of Muslims rose in violence, "collectively punishing" the Copts of the village. Two Christians "not party to the altercation" were killed; others were stabbed and critically wounded. As usual, "after killing the Copts, Muslims went on a rampage, looting and burning Christian-owned homes and businesses." Even so, "Muslims insist they have not yet avenged" the death of their co-religionist, and there are fears of "a wholesale massacre of Copts." Many Christians have fled their homes or are in hiding.
Kenya: Suspected Islamic extremists, apparently angered at the use of wine during communion—Islam forbids alcohol—threw a grenade near a church compound killing two, including an 8-year-old girl, and critically wounding three others. The pastor of another congregation received a message threatening him either to flee the region "within 48 hours or you see bomb blast taking your life and we know your house, Christians will see war. Don't take it so lightly. We are for your neck."
Nigeria: In the latest round of violence, soon after mosque prayers were heard, hundreds of armed Muslims invaded Christian villages, "like a swarm of bees," killing, looting, and destroying virtually everything in sight; at the end of their four-hour rampage, some 150 people had been killed—at least 130 of them Christians. Another 45 Christians were also killed by another set of "Allahu Akbar!" shouting Muslims who burned, looted, and killed. Hundreds of people are still missing; the attacks have included the bombing of at least ten church buildings. Nearly all the Christians in the area have fled the region.
Pakistan: A 25 year-old Christian was shot dead by "an unidentified gunman in what his family believes was a radical Muslim group's targeting of a Christian." According to the son, "We firmly believe that my father was killed because of his preaching of the Bible, because there is no other reason." He began to receive threats "after voicing his desire to start a welfare organization for the poor Christians" of the region.
"Dhimmitude"
(General Abuse, Debasement, and Suppression of non-Muslim "Second-Class Citizens")
November's major instances of dhimmitude come from two Muslim nations notorious for violating Christian rights—Egypt and Pakistan—neither of which is even cited in the U.S. State Department's recent International Religious Freedom report:
Egypt: Following October's Maspero massacre, when the military killed dozens of Christians, some run over intentionally by armored vehicles, Egypt's military prosecutor detained 34 Christians, including teens under 16, on charges of "inciting violence, carrying arms and insulting the armed forces"; many of the detainees were not even at the scene and were just collected from the streets for "being a Christian." Three are under 16 years of age, including one who, after having an operation to extract a bullet from his jaw, was chained to his hospital bed. Hundreds of Christians also came under attack from Muslims throwing stones and bottles, after the Christians protested against the violence at Maspero: "Supporters of an Islamist candidate for upcoming parliamentary election joined in the attack on the Copts." Meanwhile, a senior leader of the Salafi party, which came in second after the Muslim Brotherhood in recent elections, blamed Christians for their own massacre, calling "Allah's curse on them." Muslim Brotherhood leaders asserted that only "drunks, druggies, and adulterers" are against the implementation of Sharia—a clear reference to Egypt's Christians.
Pakistan: A new U.S. government commission report indicates that Pakistani school textbooks foster intolerance of Christians, Hindus, and all non-Muslims, while most teachers view religious minorities as "enemies of Islam." "Religious minorities are often portrayed as inferior or second-class citizens who have been granted limited rights and privileges by generous Pakistani Muslims, for which they should be grateful," notes the report. Accordingly, in an attempted land-grab, Muslim police and cohorts of a retired military official, beat two Christian women with "batons and punches," inflicting a serious wound to one of the women's eyes after the women spoke up in defense of their land, and shot at Christians who came to help the women. "In the last few years Muslims have made several attempts to seize the land from the Christians, usually succeeding because Christians are a marginalized minority." Likewise, under a "false charge of theft," a Christian couple was arrested and severely beaten by police; the pregnant wife was "kicked and punched" even as her interrogators threatened "to kill her unborn fetus." A policeman offered to remove the theft charges if the husband would only "renounce Christianity and convert to Islam."
・Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
3. Free Malaysia （http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com）
Season to be jolly – and afraid for M’sian Christians, 22 December 2011
For the minority religious group, there is a sense of unease in the wake of rising tensions with Muslims authorities.
by Julia Yeow
KUALA LUMPUR: In every mall and along every main street in Malaysia’s capital, elaborate decorations and loud, blaring carols bring about festive reminders of the season to be jolly.
But beneath the blinking lights and merry making, many Christians will be celebrating Christmas with an undeniable sense of unease due to rising tensions with Muslim authorities.
Malaysia is a secular state as defined in its constitution, but Islam is the official religion and is embraced by 60 percent of the population. Minority Christians make up about 10 percent, followed
by Buddhists, Hindus and people of other faiths.
Religious violence is rare in the multicultural society, but minority religious groups have complained that their right to practise freely is increasingly threatened by a Muslim-dominated
government.
Christians have always had to be “cautious” in dealing with the government, said Sam Ang, secretary-general of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship, the country’s largest evangelical group.
“I think there is definitely a sense of Christians feeling threatened much more now, although not so much physically.”
He said the authorities often misinterpret the law according to their own convenience.
“There is always a risk. That is why churches would be wise to always exercise caution,” he said.
An emotional thing
But one major church apparently threw caution to the wind on Aug 3 when it allowed an organisation with Muslim members to use its premises for a celebration.
Islamic religious officers raided the church during the dinner, and later claimed efforts were being made to convert the Muslims who were present.
The Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) denied the allegations and called the raid illegal. It said accusations of conversion attempts were false and malicious.
Christian leaders condemned the raid, saying the authorities showed no proof or warrant to enter the church premises.
The incident also sparked outrage among Muslim groups that demonstarted against what they claimed were aggressive conversion efforts by Christians. They called on Muslims to “take all necessary actions” to protect the sanctity of Islam.
In response, the Christian community was placed on alert for fears of a repeat of violent attacks on at least eight churches last year, including one that was gutted by a firebomb.
“Religion is such an emotional thing that I find it hard to be at ease during this season,” said Vivienne Pal, a 33-year-old Christian.
“I’m constantly aware that things can get out of hand in a blink of an eye.”
Unwanted attention
Following the August incident, many major churches around Selangor and Kuala Lumpur re-evaluated their activities, for fear of drawing “unwanted attention”.
“We’ve had to be very careful about whom we help, and how we go about doing it because authorities are paying more attention to church activities,” said a pastor who requested anonymity due to his work among the poor and homeless of Kuala Lumpur.
“It’s sad because we don’t care about a person’s race or religion when we offer help, but now we need to be wise and cautious, so that our work doesn’t bring about unwanted attention and negative
repercussions to the entire church,” he said.
“Our situation in Malaysia is not new, and Christians have been facing this although over the past three years, it’s become worse,” evangelical leader Ang said.
In spite of the increasing tension between the church and state, there are many who believe the maturity of believers from both religions will be able to mend the rift.
Mazran Nordin, an ethnic Malay Muslim, said he often visited churches in Europe and had no problem attending weddings in churches.
“I think a lot of it has to do with the maturity of a Muslim believer. If you are confident in your beliefs, why would you be afraid of being converted?” Mazran said.
“Everywhere you go, you can see normal Malaysians of all religions celebrating Christmas together,” said Thomas Philips, president of Malaysia’s Council of Churches.
“I don’t believe there is a distrust, and a feeling of any one religion being threatened. Those are just games the politicians and media play.
“From what we have seen, there is still much hope for people of all religions to live peacefully here,” he said.
（End）
