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| Southeast Asia |
| Msia charges 3 Muslims |
| 2010-01-30 |
| [Straits Times] MALAYSIAN prosecutors charged three Muslim men on Friday in the firebombing of a church - the first suspects in a string of assaults on places of worship amid a dispute over whether non-Muslims can refer to God as 'Allah'. The arson attacks, vandalism and other incidents at 11 churches, a Sikh temple, three mosques and two Muslim prayer halls in recent weeks followed a Dec 31 court verdict that allowed non-Muslims to use 'Allah' as a translation for 'God' in the Malay language. Many Malaysian Muslims believe the word should be exclusive to their religion, and that its use by others could confuse some Muslims and even tempt them to convert. Three suspects pleaded innocent in a Kuala Lumpur district court on Friday to starting a fire that partially gutted a Protestant church on Jan 8, said government lawyer Anselm Charles Fernandis. It was the first and most serious of all the attacks on churches, most of which suffered only minor damage. The men, who are in their 20s, face a maximum prison sentence of up to 20 years if convicted of 'mischief by fire' with the intention of destroying a place of worship. The judge set March 12 for mention. Five others arrested with the men last week in connection to the same attack were released without charges. The attacks on churches have abated in the past two weeks, though fears of tensions resurfaced on Wednesday when severed heads of wild boars were found dumped at two mosques. Pigs are considered unclean by Muslims. |
| Posted by:Fred |