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Malaysia Muslims in Church Raid to Get Faith Counseling
October 11, 2011

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Kuala Lumpur. A Malaysian state sultan has ordered faith “counseling” for 12 Muslims who attended a church event where they were allegedly proselytized in a case that strained religious ties in the country.

The Muslims will undergo counseling “to restore their belief and faith,” Sharafuddin Idris Shah, the sultan of the state of Selangor, has said.

But in a statement carried Tuesday in state media, he said there would be no action taken against Islamic religious police who raided the dinner at a Methodist church hall on Aug. 3.

The raid near the capital Kuala Lumpur sparked renewed fears of a growing Islamization in the Muslim-majority but multicultural country, and launched a debate over the powers of the religious enforcers.

“We command that [Islamic officials] provide counseling to Muslims who were involved in the said dinner to restore their belief and faith in the religion of Islam,” Sharafuddin said.

“We ... are gravely concerned and extremely offended by the attempts of certain parties to weaken the faith and belief of Muslims in the state of Selangor,” he said.

However, he added no further action would be taken over the allegations of proselytizing, which have been denied by the Damansara Utama Methodist Church.

It is illegal to convert Muslims to other religions in most of Malaysia.

Muslims make up 60 percent of the country’s 28 million people, while Christians account for about nine percent.

Malaysia has largely avoided overt religious conflict in recent decades but tensions have simmered since a court ruling in late 2009 lifted a government ban on the use of “Allah” as a translation for “God” in Malay-language bibles.

The ban had been in place for years but enforcement only began in 2008 out of fear the word could encourage Muslims to convert.

The 2009 ruling triggered a series of attacks on Christian places of worship using Molotov cocktails, rocks and paint.

Malaysia has nine sultans, who occupy a ceremonial role but are considered the guardians of Islam in their respective states.

Under a unique rotating monarchy, they each take turns to rule for five years as the nation’s king.

Agence France-Presse