Following intimidation from Muslim groups
intending to stage a protest outside a church in Klang, police have
given the editor of the Catholic weekly the Herald, Father Lawrence Andrew, “an assurance of safety”.
Contacted by Malaysiakini, Father Lawrence said he was called up by a Special Branch officer at 9.40am today and subsequently he went to police district headquarters in Klang.
“Three officers were there... We had a little chat for about 30 minutes and they gave me an assurance of my safety,” he said.
Father Lawrence (right) said the officers were calm and friendly during the short meeting.
The Klang District Muslim Solidarity Secretariat is reported to have said that its members will march to the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Klang on Sunday to deliver a protest note should Lawrence fail to withdraw his statement over the continuous usage of the word 'Allah' by Christians in the country.
Father Lawrence in his Dec 27 statement had said churches in Selangor will continue to use the word Allah, despite the intention of the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) to send the churches a reminder against its use by non-Muslims.
The Klang District Muslim Solidarity Secretariat also urged him to apologise to Muslims and Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah on Sunday, as demanded by several other Muslim groups as well.
No probe by the police
Father Lawrence urged churchgoers to remain calm and attend the weekend service on Sunday as usual.
He also refuted claims that the police were investigating his statement on the use of the word ‘Allah’ in churches in Selangor.
“There is nothing to be investigated. I was just stating what the Federal Constitution states,” he stressed.
Father Lawrence was quoted as saying that the word ‘Allah’ would be used in Catholic churches in the state in its weekend services in Bahasa Malaysia, as Article 11(3) (A) of the constitution prescribes that every religious group has its right to manage its own religious affairs.
To this, Selangor police chief Mohd Shukri Dahlan, too, denied that the police were calling Father Lawrence to record statement.
“I told them (reporters) that police will investigate every report lodged, and the relevant people related to the cases will be called for investigation.
“But I did not say that we are looking for Father Lawrence,” Shukri said.
Churches lodge reports against Umno, NGOs
In a related development, about 20 churches in the Klang Valley have lodged numerous police reports against Umno and several Muslim non-governmental organisations that have threatened to hold protests outside the churches on Sunday.
A spokesperson for the churches and lawyer Annou Xavier said the purpose of lodging the reports was to ensure the safety of those attending the Sunday service.
“We want to ensure the safety of the parishioners and those who attend the Sunday service.”
“The church is also concerned over a possible repeat of churches being targeted for arson attacks, as what happened to the Metro Tabernacle Church on Jan 8, 2010. We also want to avoid any similar untoward incident from taking place,” Annou told Malaysiakini.
The arson attacks
on the churches and other places of worship followed a decision made by
the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Dec 31, 2009, in declaring the Home
Ministry's ban on the use of ‘Allah’ in Catholic weekly the Herald as wrong and unconstitutional.
It was reported that several Umno members and NGOs have lodged police reports against the Herald editor Lawrence Andrew over his statement that the Catholic Church in Selangor will continue to use the word ‘Allah’ in the Bahasa Malaysia service.
They gave Father Lawrence until tomorrow or the groups will protest outside the churches on Sunday.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has also criticised Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for allegedly supporting the protest by Selangor Umno.
Annou also advised Christians and churchgoers to remain calm and not to engage with the protesters.
“The Christians are urged to welcome these protesters with an open heart and perhaps even invite them for morning tea as these people are ignorant and considered lost ‘sheep’,” he said.
Meanwhile, Utusan Malaysia quoted Shukri as saying police have recorded statements from ten individuals over Lawrence's call for the continued use of ‘Allah’ by Christians in the state.
However, he added that Lawrence was not among the ten.
Contacted by Malaysiakini, Father Lawrence said he was called up by a Special Branch officer at 9.40am today and subsequently he went to police district headquarters in Klang.
“Three officers were there... We had a little chat for about 30 minutes and they gave me an assurance of my safety,” he said.Father Lawrence (right) said the officers were calm and friendly during the short meeting.
The Klang District Muslim Solidarity Secretariat is reported to have said that its members will march to the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Klang on Sunday to deliver a protest note should Lawrence fail to withdraw his statement over the continuous usage of the word 'Allah' by Christians in the country.
Father Lawrence in his Dec 27 statement had said churches in Selangor will continue to use the word Allah, despite the intention of the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) to send the churches a reminder against its use by non-Muslims.
The Klang District Muslim Solidarity Secretariat also urged him to apologise to Muslims and Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah on Sunday, as demanded by several other Muslim groups as well.
No probe by the police
Father Lawrence urged churchgoers to remain calm and attend the weekend service on Sunday as usual.
He also refuted claims that the police were investigating his statement on the use of the word ‘Allah’ in churches in Selangor.
“There is nothing to be investigated. I was just stating what the Federal Constitution states,” he stressed.
Father Lawrence was quoted as saying that the word ‘Allah’ would be used in Catholic churches in the state in its weekend services in Bahasa Malaysia, as Article 11(3) (A) of the constitution prescribes that every religious group has its right to manage its own religious affairs.
To this, Selangor police chief Mohd Shukri Dahlan, too, denied that the police were calling Father Lawrence to record statement.
“I told them (reporters) that police will investigate every report lodged, and the relevant people related to the cases will be called for investigation.
“But I did not say that we are looking for Father Lawrence,” Shukri said.
Churches lodge reports against Umno, NGOs
In a related development, about 20 churches in the Klang Valley have lodged numerous police reports against Umno and several Muslim non-governmental organisations that have threatened to hold protests outside the churches on Sunday.
A spokesperson for the churches and lawyer Annou Xavier said the purpose of lodging the reports was to ensure the safety of those attending the Sunday service.
“We want to ensure the safety of the parishioners and those who attend the Sunday service.”
“The church is also concerned over a possible repeat of churches being targeted for arson attacks, as what happened to the Metro Tabernacle Church on Jan 8, 2010. We also want to avoid any similar untoward incident from taking place,” Annou told Malaysiakini.
The arson attacks
on the churches and other places of worship followed a decision made by
the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Dec 31, 2009, in declaring the Home
Ministry's ban on the use of ‘Allah’ in Catholic weekly the Herald as wrong and unconstitutional.It was reported that several Umno members and NGOs have lodged police reports against the Herald editor Lawrence Andrew over his statement that the Catholic Church in Selangor will continue to use the word ‘Allah’ in the Bahasa Malaysia service.
They gave Father Lawrence until tomorrow or the groups will protest outside the churches on Sunday.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has also criticised Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for allegedly supporting the protest by Selangor Umno.
Annou also advised Christians and churchgoers to remain calm and not to engage with the protesters.
“The Christians are urged to welcome these protesters with an open heart and perhaps even invite them for morning tea as these people are ignorant and considered lost ‘sheep’,” he said.
Meanwhile, Utusan Malaysia quoted Shukri as saying police have recorded statements from ten individuals over Lawrence's call for the continued use of ‘Allah’ by Christians in the state.
However, he added that Lawrence was not among the ten.
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