Christian churches across Malaysia have come under arson attacks in the past three days, but authorities said on Monday the situation is now under control.
The attacks are believed to have been triggered by a court decision on December 31 to overturn a government ban on Catholics' using "Allah" to refer to God in the Catholic Malay-language newspaper, as well as in Malay-language Bibles.
"The situation is under control, and people have nothing to fear," The Star newspaper quoted Interior Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein as saying on Monday.
Attackers threw petrol bombs at churches across the country since Friday, also smashing windows in one of the churches and painting the door of another church black. No one suffered in the attacks.
Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim nation, but about 9% of the country's 28 million people, mainly ethnic Chinese and Indians, are Christians.
Home Ministry secretary general Datuk Seri Mahmood Adam also moved to assure the representatives of the foreign missions at a briefing on Monday that the "situation is under control".
In a bid to deter more strains in ties between the Muslim majority and Christian minority, police in the central state of Selangor, warned against yielding to SMS appeals and holding unsanctioned demonstrations near a local Catholic church, The Star reported.
Muslim nongovernment organizations in Malaysia have pledged to dispatch volunteers to guard Christian churches to prevent new attacks.
Nadzim Johan, a senior spokesman for the Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia, told The Star they do not want "Christian brothers" to remain under threat.
The statement came as the eighth arson attempt on a church was reported early on Monday in the western state of Negeri Sembila.
"I urge people to stop such activities. Do not do anything that can disrupt the peace and harmony of the country. We will take stern action against those found responsible," Negeri Sembilan deputy police chief Datuk Abd Manan Mhd Hassan was quoted by local media as saying.
JAKARTA, January 11 (RIA Novosti)
