KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 — Mainstream Christian churches are
distancing themselves from independent evangelical churches’
“over-enthusiastic” attempts to proselytise Muslims in Malaysia, says a
senior Protestant church leader.
He told The Malaysian Insider that the mainstream churches were disappointed with some independent Christian groups for being insensitive to other religious communities when sharing their faith.
“We’ve
had cases where the Hindus complain that the Christians have been too
assertive,” said the church leader, adding that Muslims, Buddhists and
Sikhs have made similar complaints.
He told The Malaysian Insider that the mainstream churches were disappointed with some independent Christian groups for being insensitive to other religious communities when sharing their faith.
File
picture of a woman praying at the St Francis Xavier Catholic church in
Petaling Jaya. Mainstream churches are said to be concerned with how
some independent evangelical churches are proselytising Muslims openly.
“But in all these cases where the Christians have shared (their
faith), it’s not to force or coerce or put any faith in a bad light,” he
stressed, requesting anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the
topic.
The senior church leader’s remarks come as controversy rages on over last week’s Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) raid on a thanksgiving dinner in the evangelical Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya.
Lawyers for 10 of the 12 Muslims who attended the dinner were informed that Jais was now investigating the incident under section 4 of Selangor’s Non-Islamic Religions Enactment 1988.
The section makes it an offence for a person to “persuade, influence or incite” a Muslim to be inclined to any non-Islamic religion, become a follower or a member of a non-Islamic religion or forsake or disfavour Islam.
“By this happening, it has alerted the churches that there may be some independent groups that are doing something which may jeopardise the good relations of the churches with other communities here,” said the church leader, referring to the contentious raid.
“Therefore the churches feel, notwithstanding their right to profess their faith, there should also be closer co-operation and accountability between the churches,” he added.
Christians comprise 9.2 per cent out of Malaysia’s 28.3 million-strong population, according to the latest census.
According to Vatican statistics, Catholics comprise 3 per cent. Protestants, who include Anglicans, Lutherans and Presbyterians, among others, make up the majority at 6 per cent, while the minority are independent evangelical groups.
The senior church leader said mainstream churches were also concerned with how some independent evangelical churches proselytised Muslims openly.
“If a person asks for a Bible, they give it,” he said.
He added that such independent Christian groups included sects, as well as those from other countries.
NGO Harapan Komuniti said yesterday that its dinner at DUMC featured prayers, religious songs and a quiz on Islam, but denied it was aimed at converting the Muslims present.
The senior church leader’s remarks come as controversy rages on over last week’s Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) raid on a thanksgiving dinner in the evangelical Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya.
Lawyers for 10 of the 12 Muslims who attended the dinner were informed that Jais was now investigating the incident under section 4 of Selangor’s Non-Islamic Religions Enactment 1988.
The section makes it an offence for a person to “persuade, influence or incite” a Muslim to be inclined to any non-Islamic religion, become a follower or a member of a non-Islamic religion or forsake or disfavour Islam.
“By this happening, it has alerted the churches that there may be some independent groups that are doing something which may jeopardise the good relations of the churches with other communities here,” said the church leader, referring to the contentious raid.
“Therefore the churches feel, notwithstanding their right to profess their faith, there should also be closer co-operation and accountability between the churches,” he added.
Christians comprise 9.2 per cent out of Malaysia’s 28.3 million-strong population, according to the latest census.
According to Vatican statistics, Catholics comprise 3 per cent. Protestants, who include Anglicans, Lutherans and Presbyterians, among others, make up the majority at 6 per cent, while the minority are independent evangelical groups.
The senior church leader said mainstream churches were also concerned with how some independent evangelical churches proselytised Muslims openly.
“If a person asks for a Bible, they give it,” he said.
He added that such independent Christian groups included sects, as well as those from other countries.
NGO Harapan Komuniti said yesterday that its dinner at DUMC featured prayers, religious songs and a quiz on Islam, but denied it was aimed at converting the Muslims present.
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