wfn.org | WCC NEWS: Malaysia: WCC expresses solidarity after attacks on churches

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World Council of Churches - News Release

Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org

>For immediate release - 13/01/2010 17:36:07

WCC EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY WITH CHURCHES UNDER ATTACK IN MALAYSIA

In a 13 January solidarity letter to the churches in Malaysia, the World  Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit  expressed deep concern and profound sorrow about recent attacks against  church buildings in the country following a controversy over the right of  Christians to use the term "Allah" to refer to God. Thecontroversy  "generated by a small sector of Muslims" in the country is "very disturbing ", Tveit said, especially as "Christians in majority Muslim countries all  over the world, including [Malaysia's] neighbouring country Indonesia,  have used the word 'Allah' for God for centuries".

Tveit expressed hope that "immediate action" is taken "by both the  government and civil society to resolve the conflict, in order to avoid  renewed hostilities and escalation of violence". He also found it  heartening that "numerous Islamic organizations and leaders have publicly  condemned these wanton acts of a small group of people".

Several church buildings have recently been attacked in Malaysia following  a High Court ruling last month allowing non-Muslims to use the word  "Allah" to refer to God. Muslim radical groups see this as a Christian  subterfuge to win converts from Islam. The government has appealed the  High Court decision.

About 9 percent of the Malaysian population are Christians, while Muslims  amount to 48 percent. Most non-Muslims are ethnically Indian or Chinese. 

>Full text of the letter:
>http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=7503

WCC member churches in Malaysia:

http://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/regions/asia/malaysia.html

Additional information:Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363media@wcc -coe.org

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness  and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of  churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant,  Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million  Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman  Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit,  from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.