A Seremban Church Frequented by Sabahans and Sarawakians Was Attacked

Read here for more

A church in Seremban was attacked today, bringing the total targeted since Friday to eight.

The church is frequented by Sabah and Sarawakian students, with sermons conducted in Bahasa Malaysia.

The Sidang Injil Borneo church's front wooden door was charred in the pre-dawn attack.





The church is located only 1km away from the Seremban district police headquarters.

When contacted, Pastor Eddy Marsonyasir, 34, said he discovered the situation when he arrived at the church this morning.

"A few church members and I left the church at 11.30pm last night but when I came in this morning, I found the wooden door destroyed," he said.

Accompanied by DAP's Rasah MP Anthony Loke, the pastor later filed a report with the Seremban II police station.

Commentary

Darker side of attacks on churches

by

Manjit Bhatia

Excerpts: Read here for more

Nothing in Malaysia has changed in the course of the last few months. At least not for the better, but everything for the worse.

There's a long history of desperate and distorted politics that leads most analysts to shrug their shoulders and say: 'Well, it was always on the cards, wasn't it?'

From the ridiculous dogma of Islamic fanatics who body-snatched dead Hindus without documented evidence that they were Muslim converts or even converts by choice, to the destruction or removal of Hindu temples close to the Malay-Muslim populace - every one of these gutless acts reeks of political calculation and extreme anxiety.

Najib says Umno and his government are not to be blamed for these attacks.

Bah, humbug!

Umno is the ruling party of the coalition government, and as such the party is the ruling regime despite the coalition's existence. Of course it is to be blamed.

So, too, its partners in Barisan Nasional, for being outrightly pusillanimous.

They're too afraid to speak out against Islamic fanatics who have taken the law into their own hands to destroy non-Muslim religious institutions. These weak-kneed parties must face the same widespread condemnation as Umno.

They've all lost their political relevance, political lustre and moral compasses. The only thing that matters to them is that they and their cronies continue to amass wealth unchecked at the expense of ordinary Malaysians. That's their sole raison d'etre for staying in politics.

So now Malaysians face a new dilemma: the greater Islamisation of Malaysia, not by moderate elements but fanatical elements with Taliban-like instincts and cowardice.

They want draconian Syariah laws that would also apply to non-Muslim transgressors.

Now they want Najib's Umno regime to upend the Kuala Lumpur High Court's decision to allow the Catholic weekly newspaper Herald to use the word 'Allah' in general reference to God.

But when did these Muslims become the sole proprietors of the word 'Allah' when history shows that the word pre-dates the birth of Islam? This is not about the defending of Islam. It's about chauvinist elements inside Umno's inner circle stirring for a fight in the run up to the next poll, as much as it is a show of force to non-Malays of the primacy of ketuanan Melayu.

Don't wager too lightly that those inside Umno's inner sanctum and who recently have loudly disclaimed or condemned the attacks on the churches (and temples previously) are not also surreptitiously the instigators of these vile, racist and cowardly actions. After all, they have more to lose, politically and wealth accumulation-wise.

Either way, even if Najib is ousted, Malaysia's future remains bleak, dark and racist because those who take over are likely to be worse than Mahathir and certainly Najib and Abdullah put together. The hypocrisy of this group is stunning.

The church attacks are not about Islam and 'Allah'. They're the seedy side of racism and power politics - a diabolical mix.