2010 attacks against places of worship in Malaysia

A total of 10 churches and few mosques have been attacked or vandalised since 31 December 2009 decision in Malaysia vs. The Herald. Only one church has been seriously damaged and no deaths or major injuries have been reported.[1]

Three churches[2] in Kuala Lumpur were subject to an arson attack. One suffered considerable damage; witnesses saw two individuals throwing "something looking like a petrol bomb".[3] As a result, the police stepped up security at all churches.[4]

On 8 January 2010, preparations for another attack were found at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Jalan Othman which is located about 1.5 km from the Assumption Church in Jalan Templer.[5] In the early morning of Sunday, 10 January 2010, the All Saints' Church at Taiping and a Catholic Convent school were shocked with the discovery of Molotov cocktails near church grounds. Black paint was thrown at the Malacca Baptist Church in Durian Daun.[6]

Sunday worship at targeted churches went on smoothly just a few days after the attacks. The Metro Tabernacle Church, which was badly damaged in the attack on 8 January, held services at the Wisma MCA’s Dewan San Choon and churchgoers were said to be, "somber but joyful." Roughly 1,700 members of the Protestant church packed the hall for joint Mandarin and English services.[7]

Apart from Christian churches, a Muslim surau in Klang, Selangor[8] and a Sikh gurdwara in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur[9] were also attacked on 10 January 2010 and 12 January 2010 respectively. In a later incident, a rum bottle was thrown into the compound of a mosque in Sarawak on 16 January 2010.[10]

While authorities have denied any links to these attacks with the spate of church attacks, Sikhs also use the term Allah to describe God in the Punjabi language and the Malaysian Gurdwaras Council unsuccessfully sought to be a party to the Malaysia v. The Herald.[9]

All major political parties in Malaysia consisting of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition[21] and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat parties,[22] including the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), who labelled the attacks as contradicting the teachings of Islam[23] have united in condemnation of these attacks.

Police say that eight suspects have been arrested in connection to the arson committed at the Metro Tabernacle Church in Desa Melawati.[34] The first suspect was arrested when seeking treatment for burns on his chest and arms at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur. Information obtained during this arrest led to the capture of seven other suspects.[35]

The police and government officials have asked the public not to fan religious and ethnic tension by spreading rumours via the internet and text messages. Ismail said, "Please don't play the fool by posting fake information on the Internet through Facebook, blogs or via SMS. Please come to us if you have any information."[36] Police are investigating posts on Facebook claiming to have witnessed the making of explosives used in the attacks. Police have warned that the claims may be a hoax.[37] Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar says that the police are also investigating reports of seditious and racially inflammatory activity on blogs.[38] The student responsible for at least some of the posts has been arrested and released on bail.[36]

Azuwan Shah, a Malaysia Muslim, was prosecuted for his alleged role in starting a fire at a Protestant church on 8 January 2010 but acquitted due to lack of evidence in July of the same year. Two witnesses said Azuwan was not at the church when the fire started.[39]

Two brothers, Raja Mohamad Faizal Raja Ibrahim, aged 24, and Raja Mohamad Idzham Raja Ibrahim, aged 22, also Muslim, were charged and convicted in the same attack. The pair were convicted of "mischief by fire" on 13 August 2010. Komathy Suppiah, a district court judge in Kuala Lumpur, presided over the trial. She called the attack "appalling and despicable" and told the brothers that their conduct, "...strikes at the very foundations and tenets of a civilised society." As of 17 August 2010 the brothers have not yet been sentenced but face a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison.[40]