Photo by Kervin Chong
Malaysia (MNN) ― Malaysia has just marked its 50th anniversary with a prayer for unity among its races and religions. But the pomp and circumstance was shadowed by growing fears about eroding minority rights.
According to Compass Direct News, the prime minister has declared the country an Islamic State. Open Doors USA's Jerry Dykstra says, "Some of his cabinet people and some of the officials say this is an Islamic state, and others contradict that. So we're getting mixed signals. The bottom line is that the country seems to be going on a slippery slope into Sharia law."
Racial riots of 38 years ago haunt today's citizens. Ethnic tensions remain fluid and may be stirred up by the spread of Islamic conservatism. Court verdicts this year have found that civil courts have no jurisdiction in Islamic matters, even when applied to non-Muslims.
The state of religious liberty in the country has been in the limelight ever since May 30, when the outcome of the high profile case of Lina Joy - a Muslim convert to Christianity who tried unsuccessfully to have the word "Islam" removed from her identity card - was announced.
These sentiments are alarming for Christians, many of whom are already marginalized. The Christian Federation of Malaysia said in an independence day message, "What divides us has become more accentuated than what unites us."
Dykstra notes, "We've been working in that country for quite a while, including a prayer and presence ministry and leadership training. There is a strong group of Christian believers, evangelical believers there. We don't want them to be any further marginalized than they already are, so we need to keep them in mind."
