Tuesday 12th January 201012 Asian News

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Ninechurches were attacked over four daysamid a dispute over the use of the word“Allah” by non-Muslims, sparking freshpolitical instability that is dentingMuslim-majority Malaysia’s image asmoderate and stable.

The unprecedented attacks fromFriday to Monday have set off a wave ofdisquiet among Malaysia’s minorityChristians and strained their ties with themajority Malay Muslims. About 9 percentof Malaysia’s 28 million people areChristian, most of whom are ethnicChinese or Indian. Muslims make up 60percent of the population and most areethnic Malays.

The attacks are a blow to racial unityespoused by Prime Minister Najib Razakunder his “1Malaysia” slogan since takingpower in April, and pose a headache forhim as he seeks to strengthen his rulingcoalition after its losses in 2008 generalelections.

“It showed that, after 52 years of livingtogether, nation building and nationalunity is in tatters,” said Charles Santiago,an opposition member of Parliament.“The church attacks shattered notions ofMalaysia as a model secular Muslimnation in the eyes of the internationalcommunity.

“Malaysians are now living in fear of aracial clash following the church attacksand rising orthodox Islamic tones in thecountry,” Santiago said.

The latest attack early Monday left themain entrance of the Borneo EvangelicalChurch in southern Negeri Sembilan statecharred, said the Rev. Eddy Marson Yasir.He said it was unclear how the woodendoor was burned, but there was no evi-dence that a firebomb had been used.

The church caters mostly to Christiansfrom eastern Sabah and Sarawak states,who worship in the Malay language anduse the word “Allah” to describe God.

Many Muslims are angry about a Dec.31 High Court decision overturning a gov-ernment ban on Roman Catholics’ using

“Allah” to refer to their God in the Malay-language edition of their main newspaper,the Herald.

The ruling also applies to the ban’sbroader applications such as Malay-lan-guage Bibles, 10,000 copies of which wererecently seized by authorities becausethey translated God as Allah. The govern-ment has appealed the verdict.

Firebombs have been thrown at sevenother churches nationwide since Friday,with another splashed with black paint.No one was hurt and the churches suf-fered little damage, except the MetroTabernacle Church in a Kuala Lumpursuburb, which had its office on the firstfloor gutted by fire.

Church leaders have described theattacks as the work of an extremist minor-ity among Muslims, and Najib has vowedto do everything to bring the culprits tojustice.

“It’s been a difficult weekend for all. Ishare your outrage. We must stand unitedand not allow these incidents to break us,”Najib wrote on his Twitter account,NajibRazak.

Some 130 Muslim voluntary groupshave offered to help protect the churchesby becoming the “eyes and ears” of thepolice, said Nadzim Johan, a representa-tive of the groups.

Religious minorities in Malaysia haveoften complained about what they say is

institutionalized religious discriminationas Islam takes on increasing dominance.

Analysts said the line between race andreligion in the country was eroding asNajib’s ruling United Malays NationalOrganization pursue racial issues moreintensely to shore up support.

“There has been a gradual merging ofMalay identity with Islam. Malaysia isheading toward dangerous waters,” saidJames Chin, political science lecturer atMonash University in Malaysia.

“Minorities are under siege and feelthey don’t have a place in Malaysia any-more,” he said.

Malaysia’s ruling coalition, theNational Front, is dominated by UMNO,which is made up exclusively of MalayMuslims. The Front narrowly won generalelections in 2008, but it was its worst per-formance after five decades of politicaldominance since Malaysia won independ-ence in 1957.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahimblamed the church attacks on the UMNO-led government’s “incessant racist propa-ganda” over the Allah issue and inflam-matory rhetoric issued by state-controlledmainstream media.

Even Razaleigh Hamzah, a veteranUMNO member, has criticized UMNO for“digging itself into an intolerant hard-lineposition” in a bid to woo voters after itselection losses.

“UMNO is fanning communal senti-ment, and the government it leads is tak-ing up policy lines based on sensitivitiesrather than principle,” he said.

The Allah ban is unusual in theMuslim world. The Arabic word is com-monly used by Christians to describe Godin such countries as Egypt, Syria andIndonesia, the world’s largest Muslimnation.

The Herald has been using Allah in itsBahasa Malaysia publication since 1995,but it was not until 2006 that it was warnedby the government to stop using Allah torefer to God.

Police officers inspect damage at the All Saints Church in Taiping of Perak state,Malaysia, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010. Another church was hit by a firebomb early Sunday,the fifth assault in three days of unrest following a court decision that allowsChristians and other non-Muslims to use “Allah” to refer to God. (AP

Church attacks in Malaysia deepen racial tension

The Statesman/ANNExiled Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai

Lama yesterday (January 10) applaudedthe growing solidarity shown by theChinese intellectuals for the Tibetancause.

While speaking at the Ladies StudyGroup Charitable Trust Annual AwardScheme, the Dalai Lama said Chineseintellectuals are very supportive to theTibetan cause. “Many Chinese and par-ticularly the intellectuals are showingsolidarity with us,” he said. Around 800articles have been written by theChinese intellectuals in this connection,he said.

Although the intellectuals are only asmall percentage compared to the totalpopulation, but their opinion is veryimportant for a country, the Dalai Lamaadded.

He further said China needs torethink its policy towards ethnicminorities.

Delivering a lecture on the art of hap-piness, the Dalai Lama urged people ofthe country to strike a balance between“material development” and “spiritualdevelopment” as this would make lifemore stable.

The Dalai Lama said that it’s good forthe country to work for material devel-opment namely in science and technolo-gy, but at no point should one neglect itstraditions that are over 1,000 years old.

Countries that have made immenseprogress in material development, suf-fer from anxiety and stress the most, headded.

The Dalai Lama is slated to unveil amonastery in India, claimed to be thebiggest in South Asia, at Chandragiri inOrissa’s Gajapati district on January 12.

The Dalai Lama, who arrives atBhubaneswar today (January 11) on afour-day visit to the state, would conse-crate and inaugurate the monastery,religious chief of Tibetan settlement atChandragiri, Gyetrul Jigme Rinpochetold reporters.

Dalai Lamalauds Chineseintellectuals

Tibetan spiritual leader the DalaiLama arrives to begin a series of lec-tures at Mahabodhi temple in BodhGaya, about 130 kilometers (81 miles)south of Patna, India, Thursday, Jan.7, 2010. Bodh Gaya is the town wherePrince Siddhartha Gautama attainedenlightenment after intense medita-tion and became the Buddha. The lec-tures will continue till Dec.9. (AP

Alastair McIndoe The Straits Times

In a large machine shop on the out-skirts of the Philippines’ capitalManila, workmen check the fit of a

bullet-resistant front window on agleaming black Ford Expedition.

The chassis of a stripped-downToyota Land Cruiser in the next bay isgetting its flooring measured for aKevlar blanket that can withstand agrenade explosion; on another vehicle,steel plates are being welded into theback door.

A general election is four monthsaway in the Philippines and order booksat Exo Armoring are filling up fast aswealthy candidates - or those with richbackers - get extra protection during atense time when political rivalries canheat up dangerously.

Yesterday (January 10) marked theofficial start of the campaigning periodfor the May 10 election and the start of anationwide ban on carrying guns in pub-lic until after the polls. More than 100,000policemen and military troops are beingdeployed to provide security.

“The 12 months before an election areour busiest period,” said the firm’s man-aging director Dante Manalang, raisinghis voice over the shriek of a power drill.

Running for public office in thePhilippines is a high-stakes venture inwhich unscrupulous candidates havelong used violence against rivals andelection officials to secure a win at thepolls.

That came to a shocking head in lastNovember’s election-related massacre of57 civilians, including 30 journalists, inMaguindanao in the southernPhilippines.

At another company, Utah-basedInternational Armoring Corporation(IAC), which has made armour-protectedvehicles for more than 30 heads of state,there has been a sharp rise in inquiriesfrom the Philippines.

“We got around 35 in December, farmore than one and two a month we usu-ally get from here,” IAC marketing direc-tor Tom Fleenor told The Straits Times.

He attributes the rise to the comingelection and politicians and business-men reviewing their security arrange-ments after the Maguindanao massacre.

The powerful Ampatuan clan blamedfor the massacre protected its powerbase with a large private army and insu-lated itself with dense layers of security.But even that failed to stop a clan mem-ber from being assassinated a few yearsago.

Last year, IAC delivered two armour-protected Hummer H2 off-road vehiclesto the Ampatuans for their large fleet ofbullet-proof vehicles.

But this is a business in which theidentity of the client is often not known.

Manalang believes that most of thework his firm does for Filipino politi-cians during the election seasons are forcandidates running for local govern-ment, and especially mayors in areasknown for feuding between rival fami-lies and clans.

“They know who is going after themand need protection,” he said.

That fits with the pattern of pastpolls.

Traditionally, candidates running asgovernors, mayors and local councillorsare at the sharp end of election violence.

It is rare, though not unknown, formembers of Congress to be assassinated.

At Exo Armoring, it takes aroundthree months to armour-protect a sportutility vehicle (SUV) to withstand anattack by a high-powered rifle like an M-16 - and at a cost of around US$75,000, itroughly doubles the price of an SUVbought in the Philippines.

The armour, made from a special steelcalled Armormax imported fromSweden, and three-inch thick, bullet-resistant glass and ram bumpers addabout a tonne to the weight of the vehi-cle. Airless tyres called ‘runflats’ cantake shrapnel hits and let a vehicleunder fire still make a nifty 50kmh get-away.

“We did a Nissan X-Trail a couple ofyears ago that was ambushed on a busyroad in Manila during the daytime,” saidExo Armoring director ArvinVillanueva.

Erwida Maulia The Jakarta Post/ANN

Indonesian Muslim organisations havebeen asked to remind followers not tofollow in the steps of recent church

attacks in Malaysia, following a KualaLumpur court ruling lifting the ban on theuse of the word ‘Allah’ by non-MuslimMalaysians.

Noted Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azrasaid although Indonesian Muslims weremore tolerant regarding the use of ‘Allah’by non-Muslims, there remained the possi-bility of similar attacks by a few small butradical Muslim groups here.

“It could likewise happen in Indonesiabecause there are a few small groups herethat might go to such lengths. They haveoften caused disturbances, albeit on asmall scale,” Azyumardi told The JakartaPost over the weekend.

He urged the government to coordinatecampaigns against church attacks byinvolving Muslim organisations such asNahdlatul Ulama (NU), Muhammadiyah,the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and

other institutions including the police andthe religious affairs ministry.

“What’s important is to inform the pub-lic not to let similar incidents happen inIndonesia,” Azyumardi said.

He added the police should monitor thesecurity of local churches, but remindedthem against doing so conspicuously.

“If it’s too indiscrete, I’m afraid it couldspark unexpected reactions instead,”Azyumardi said, suggesting that policeofficers monitor covertly.

He also urged police to harshly punishany groups or individuals committingsuch acts.

Firebombs were thrown at three morechurches in Malaysia on Sunday (January10) and another was splashed with blackpaint, the latest in a series of assaults onchurches, the Associated Press reportedSunday. Four were reportedly attackedSaturday (January 9).

Prominent NU and Muhammadiyah fig-ures called on Indonesian Muslims not todraw inspiration from the Malaysianchurch attacks.

“Don’t be influenced by the incidents inMalaysia. Don’t attack churches. It is

against the teachings of our religion andthe laws of our state,” NU deputy chair-man Shalahuddin Wahid was quoted assaying by Koran Jakarta daily on Saturday.

Former Muhammadiyah chairman M.Syafii Maarif, meanwhile, emphasized theneed for religious organizations such asNU and Muhammadiyah to call on theirfollowers to avoid settling problemsthrough violence.

“Having NU and Muhammadiyah com-municate directly with their followers is amore effective approach as these organisa-tions can reach the grass roots,” Syafii saidof two largest Muslim groups in Indonesia,which claim to have 40 million and 20 mil-lion followers, respectively.

Executive secretary of the IndonesianBishops’ Council (KWI), Father BennySusetyo, said what happened in Malaysiawas merely a language problem.

“This is actually a mere matter of lan-guage use. A group says the use of theword ‘Allah’ is exclusive to Islam. Yet thenaming of God is a supernatural matter, inwhich mankind gives a name to a powerbeyond their own,” Benny said.

Papuan tribesman armed with arrows and spears take part in a tribal war between twovillages in Kwamki Lama district in Timika, Papua province, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010.The conflict erupted due to unpaid compensation demanded by the downstream vil-lage for a rape that was allegedly committed by a member of the upstream village sixmonths ago. One tribesman has been killed and 31 people have been injured since theclash erupted Monday. (AP)

Putting on thearmour for elections

Jamaluddin Jamali The Nation (Pakistan)/ANN

Spurious drugs including multi-vita-min pills and herbal tonics are causingdeaths of over a thousand people every

year in the Punjab alone with renal andheart failures.

In the emergency wards of public hospi-tals, the arrival of such patients is increas-ing day by day. These patients are diagnosed

with organ problems contracted by con-sumption of high potency drugs illegallymanufactured with salts and chemicals ofallopathic medicines.

As many as 9 drug courts are working inthe Punjab to deal with the menace, butunfortunately the courts are handicappeddue to ineffective legislation and inefficientdrug testing laboratories, which are justthree for all the province.

Under the Drug Act 1976, maximum pun-ishment is 7 years imprisonment, but noaccused has yet been punished with thissentence. Mostly Rs 500 or Rs 1000 fine isimposed on those, who are found guilty ofbeing involved in the business of spuriousdrugs.

Sources said that only 4 per cent phar-maceutical companies in Pakistan manu-

facture medicine or raw material of medi-cines while rest of the 96 per cent importthe raw material/medicine salts or they, infact, are re-packing industries.

Medical experts revealed that the rawmaterial of allopathic medicines, includingsalts and chemical were going in the handsof mafia groups, which remix several chem-icals to make new allopathic medicines,herbal medicines and high potency health

tonics that are unwholesome for humanconsumption. They were of the view thatover a 1000 people expired per year owing touse of sub-standard or spurious drugs.

The term spurious drug is complex assome genuine drugs made by unregisteredcompanies are also called spurious, whilethe bogus drugs which do not contain ingre-dients mentioned on label, also fall in thesame ambit.

1,000 Pakistanis fall prey to spurious drugs every year

Indonesian Muslims told not to copy church attacks