Malaysia police arrest seven in church attacks

Malaysian police said on Friday they had arrested seven people in connection with arson attacks on two churches and a Catholic school, amid escalating religious tensions in the mainly Muslim country.                                           

A total of 16 religious institutions nationwide have been hit by arson and vandalism since a court ruled in December that a Catholic newspaper had the right to use the word "Allah" for the Christian God in its Malay language publication.                                           

Police said seven people, men aged 17 to 29, were arrested in the northeastern state of Perak where an Anglican church, a Catholic church and a convent school were attacked.                                           

"We believe they acted spontaneously, not part of any organised group," Perak state police chief Zulkifli Abdullah told Reuters.                                           

Eight people were arrested in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday in connection with investigations into the firebombing of a Pentecostalist church on January 8.                                            

Two Muslim prayer halls in the southern state of Johor bordering Singapore were the latest to be hit on Thursday, with one suffering extensive fire damage.                                           

Of the 16 attempted attacks, most were failed arson attempts or vandalism. The most serious damage was inflicted on the Pentecostalist Metro Tabernacle church in Kuala Lumpur, which was firebombed.                                           

Apart from Muslim and Christian religious institutions, a Sikh temple in Kuala Lumpur was also attacked last week. The next day, the office of the lawyer representing the Catholic publication involved in the legal case was broken into and ransacked.                                           

The attacks have dented Malaysia's reputation as a moderate Muslim country. Malaysia's government says the attacks were carried out by individuals and were not coordinated.                                           

The use of the word "Allah" to describe the Christian God is widespread in the Arabic speaking word and also in neighbouring Indonesia.                                           

Those who insist the word "Allah" should not be used by Christians say that missionaries could use the word to confuse and convert Malays. The Catholic Herald newspaper says it needs to use the word for its Malay-speaking congregations on Borneo Island.                                           

In Malaysia, religious issues are entwined with ethnic identity as all Malays, 55% of the population, are by definition Muslim and conversion is illegal.                                           

The government, led by prime minister Najib Razak, was initially criticised for its slow and ambivalent response to the attacks and the court ruling.                                           

The opposition, including a political party that wants to establish an Islamic state, supported the Christian use of the word "Allah".