mobile phone text messages claiming that Malay Muslims would be baptized there.
The protests around the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Ipoh, 220 kilometers (137.5 miles), north of Kuala Lumpur broke out Sunday, November 5, after "false rumors," church officials said.
"It is not the nature of the Catholic Church to indiscriminately baptize any person. Any adult seeking baptism has to first undergo a long period of examination and faith education," said the Archbishop Emeritus of Kuala Lumpur, Anthony Soter Fernandez, in remarks released by the Catholic AsiaNews agency.
The crowd apparently reluctantly dispersed after learning the ceremony was a Communion Mass for about 100 ethnic Indian Catholic children.
INVESTIGATIONS UNDERWAY
Criminal investigations were still underway Thursday, November 9, after Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said police were looking into the hoax, which he described as "dangerous as it can lead to racial disputes and create a tense situation in the country," the national news agency Bernama reported.
"Firm action must be taken against those responsible," Najib was quoted as saying by Bernama. "We must find out who was behind it."
The case has underscored tensions surrounding conversions here, which remains a highly sensitive subject in Malaysia, where Muslims are not legally permitted to change their religion. Those who have tried were previously sentenced to prison terms and religious rehabilitation programs.
EVANGELIZING FORBIDDEN
Proselytizing of Muslims by members of other religions, including evangelizing, is prohibited, which has made it difficult for Christian missionaries to operate in the country.
Malaysia’s population of 26 million people is about 60 percent Malay Muslim, 25 percent Chinese Buddhists and Christians, and 10 percent Indians, who are mainly Hindus and Christians, according to estimates.
The government has reportedly tried to establish harmony between different groups following deadly ethnic riots in 1969. However, especially cases involving religious conversions, have led to tensions in recent years. Religious minorities, including Christians, and human rights groups have expressed concerns that the constitution and courts "unfairly" favor Malay Muslims. (With BosNewsLife Monitoring, and reports from the region).
