Christians in Malaysia fear growing discrimination

(Vatican Radio) Christians in Malaysia fear growing discrimination in the Muslim-majority country.

The Reverend Hermen Shastri, of the Council of Churches of Malaysia, spoke about the situation in the country at a meeting of the Global Christian Forum in Tirana, Albania, which examined the discrimination and persecution Christians face in many parts of the world.

Listen to the interview with Rev. Hermen Shastri:

The south-east Asian country of 30 million is about 60% Muslim, with a Christian minority of around 9%.

“There is a growing Islamic consciousness around the world, and this is also affecting the Muslims in our country, and so they are also struggling with some of the issues that are confronting the world community with regard to imposition of Sharia law, formation of an Islamic state, sometimes the emergence of extremist groups in Islam, so all these things are now prominent in our political landscape,” Shastri told Vatican Radio.

He said this is now encroaching on the practice of non-Islamic faiths in the country. One of the major issues facing Christians is the use of the name of God in study and worship.

“The Malay Bible has the translation of some Arabic words included in it, and the word for God is ‘Allah’, and the Muslim authorities insist that the word ‘Allah’ belongs to Islam and that Christians cannot use it,” Shastri said.

Recently, the highest court in the country confirmed the ruling of the Islamic authorizes, after a Catholic newspaper took them to court.

Shastri said the recent establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Malaysia will help the country.

“We hope that this relationship between the Vatican and the government of Malaysia will also help to address some of the issues of interfaith relations,” he said.