Surau Arson Attack as taken from the StarOnline

Friday January 22, 2010

Two surau hit by arsonists

By HAMDAN RAJA ABDULLAH

newsdesk@thestar.com.my

MUAR: Two separate surau in two villages in Sabak Aur and Parit Beting, located about one kilometre apart, were partially damaged in two arson attempts.

In an immediate reaction, Muar district officer Mislan Karmani called for calm and said the acts of arson were the work of “some crazy people who want to create fear and disunity among Malaysians in Muar.”

In the first incident, the Surau Sirrahtulrahim at Jalan Ismail in Sabak Aur had its curtain and parts of the wall scorched.

Village head Idris Sehan believed someone had splashed kerosene near the window on the front wall. Passers-by put out the fire at 2am yesterday.

Over in Parit Beting, the surau at Jalan Salleh had its side door burnt and a window broken.

The damage was only noticed at 11am when some children went to the surau to attend a Quran class.

Mislan called on all village heads and community leaders in the district to look after all houses of worship in their respective areas.

“The incidents are not related to race or religion,” he said.

Johor deputy police chief SAC I Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman said no one should exploit the issue and the police should be allowed to handle the investigations.

SAC I Jalaluddin, who was accompanied by Johor OCCI SAC II Datuk Amer Awal, said police believed the two incidents were caused by the same people.

Anyone with information can call Johor police at 07-2212999 or the Muar police at 06-9526001.

3 Malaysian churches firebombed taken from CBC News World

Malaysian Churches Burned Down

Last Updated: Friday, January 8, 2010 | 12:06 AM ET

The Associated Press

Three Malaysian churches were hit with firebombs Friday, extensively damaging one amid a growing conflict over the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims, officials said.

The attacks sharply escalated tensions in the Muslim-majority country ahead of planned protests by Muslims later Friday against a Kuala Lumpur High Court verdict that struck down a three-year-old ban on non-Muslims using Allah in their literature.

"I condemn these actions because they will destroy our country's harmony," Prime Minister Najib Razak told reporters. "The government will take whatever steps it can to prevent such acts."

Najib said he has told the national police chief to step up security at churches and other places of worship.

The Dec. 31 court decision incensed many Muslims, who see it as a threat to their religion. Hateful comments and threats against Christians have been posted widely on the internet, but this is the first time the controversy has turned destructive.

The ruling was on a petition by Malaysia's Roman Catholic Church, whose main publication, the Herald, uses the word Allah in its Malay-language edition.

The first-floor office in the three-storey Metro Tabernacle Church was destroyed in a blaze a little after midnight, said Kevin Ang, a spokesman for the Protestant church. The worship areas on the upper two floors were not damaged and there were no injuries.

Kuala Lumpur police Chief Mohamad Sabtu Osman said a witness saw four people on two motorcycles breaking the glass front of the church and throwing an incendiary object inside before fleeing.

He said police found a wrench, an empty gasoline can and two scorched motorcycle helmets at the scene. The church occupies a corner plot in a row of shops in Desa Melawati, a suburb of Kuala Lumpur.

"We are still investigating," he said. He also urged Muslims not to participate in the planned protests.

Separately, Molotov cocktails were thrown into the compounds of two other churches before dawn, causing minor damage in one and none in the other, church officials said.

Rev. Lawrence Andrew, the editor of the Herald, said many churches have employed extra security guards. "Most churches are taking precautions. They are aware it may just blow up," he said.

The government has appealed the court verdict and the High Court has suspended the decision's implementation until the appeal is heard.