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Kuala Lumpur. A Malaysian court on Friday acquitted a Muslim man of arson charges after he was accused of torching a church during religious tensions over whether non-Muslims can use the word Allah to refer to God.

The firebombing of the church in this Muslim-majority country marked the start of a string of assaults on places of worship in January after a court allowed Christians to use “Allah” in their Malay-language publications.

The attacks threatened decades of harmonious ties between ethnic Malay Muslims, who make up nearly two-thirds of Malaysia’s 28 million people, and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians who mainly practice Buddhism, Christianity or Hinduism.

Azuwan Shah, 23, was acquitted because of a lack of evidence proving he had a role in starting the fire that partially gutted a Protestant church in a Kuala Lumpur neighborhood on Jan. 8, said his lawyer Rosal Azimin.

He said two witnesses testified Azuwan was not at the church when the fire started.

Two Muslim brothers charged along with Azuwan will present their defense on Aug. 9 at the Kuala Lumpur district court, Rosal said.

The men in their 20s face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted of “mischief by fire” with the intention of destroying a place of worship.

Eleven churches, a Sikh temple, three mosques and two Muslim prayer rooms were attacked, most of which suffered only minor damage.

Religious violence is virtually unheard of in Malaysia where minorities are guaranteed freedom to practice their religion, but they often complain their rights are under threat by the Muslim-dominated government. The government denies any bias.


Associated Press