As for the first article, I still remember that the non-Malay local people did not trust the govenment in the early 1990s. The content is, therefore,inadequate and inaccurate. The second article reminds me of a book entitled "A Muslim-Christian Spritual Anthology: Common Prayer" edited by the late Professor Kenneth Cragg in 1999. (See:http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily/20110427). I personally doubt its positive, sustainable effects of such prayers. (Lily)
1.The Malaysian Insider（http://news.malaysia.msn.com）
A generation of Malaysians have lost their trust in Putrajaya, says Anglican bishop, 9 Jun 2014
Malaysia is "losing a generation" that no longer trusts the government, authorities and even each other, given the current trend of religious extremism, says Anglican Bishop Datuk Ng Moon Hing.
Ng, the newly minted president of the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM), said his greatest fear for Malaysia is a societal break-up due to hate speeches, racial hatred and religious extremism that is not being monitored.
"This nation has begun to lose a generation of people who no longer trust the government, the authorities, the elders, the religious leaders, and more so each other," he told The Malaysian Insider.
Ng said trust and confidence in Putrajaya have plunged to its lowest level with unresolved issues affecting Malaysia's multi-religious society, including the seizure of Bibles and the controversy over the use of the word "Allah" by Christians.
Racial and religious tensions took a turn for the worse at the start of the year when the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) raided the society's premises in Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya on January 2, before carting away 321 Bibles in Malay and Iban languages.
Last month, a seminar on Christology was held at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), where several speakers warned Muslims of the threat of Christianisation, and of undercover priests sent to Malaysia under different guises to proselytise Muslims.
Ng, the former Christian Federation of Malaysia president, said his fear was that if authorities did not put a stop to hate speeches and instigation, the "tear will go beyond repair".
Until today, Jais, the Selangor state government, the Attorney-General and Putrajaya have been mum on the seized Bibles or why they were not returned.
Ng expressed regret that the incident took place despite promises made by two prime ministers, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Datuk Seri Najib Razak, that BSM was free to bring in Malay Bibles and distribute it among Christians.
During Dr Mahathir's era, BSM was allowed to import and distribute Bibles to Christians for use in churches and Christian homes.
2.WorldWide Religious News（http://wwrn.org）
Islamic prayers at Vatican for first time as Pope hosts interfaith prayer
by Jordan Schachtel ("Breitbart," June 9, 2014)
On Sunday, Islamic Prayers and readings from the Quran were heard from the Vatican for the first time in history.
The prayers came as a result of Pope Francis’s request that Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas meet him at the Vatican City to pray amongst each other for peace. Pope Francis hoped that inter-faith dialogue would promote peace between the Israeli and Palestinian people.
What remains unclear is why the Pope decided to invite President Peres instead of Abbas’s head-of-state counterpart, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to attend the prayers at the Vatican.
A representative from the Holy See said Friday that the prayers would be a “pause in politics.” However, skeptics have noted that the very act of bringing Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders together to “pray for peace” is a politically-charged move in and of itself.
The event would feature readings from several texts of the monotheistic faiths. The Tanakh (Hebrew scriptures), New Testament, and the Quran would be featured in the ceremonies. Afterwards, Francis, Peres, and Abbas were called upon to read religious verses of their choosing.
Speaking in Italian, the Pope said of his hopes for peace, “Peacemaking calls for courage, much more so than warfare. It calls for the courage to say yes to encounter and no to conflict; yes to dialogue and no to violence; yes to negotiations and no to hostilities.” During his trip to Israel last month, Pope Francis said that searching for peace was “an act of supreme responsibility before our consciences and before our peoples.”
Many have been critical of the Pope’s refusal to place responsibility on any particular actors for the lack of peace in the Middle East.
Addressing a police headquarters from Israel on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “For thousands of years, the people of Israel have been praying for peace daily. But until that peace comes, we will continue to strengthen you so that you can continue to defend the State of Israel. Ultimately, that is what will guarantee our future and will also bring peace.”
・Disclaimer: WWRN does not endorse or adhere to views or opinions expressed in the articles posted. This is purely an information site, to inform interested parties of religious trends.
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