ICC Note: Incidents of religious intolerance and extremism on the island of Borneo, Malaysia are on the rise. When Sarawak’s forefathers agreed to become one of Malaysia’s states, they never agreed to be an Islamic state. However, Sarawak faces clear danger from Islamic groups as they already have large presence and government support in Sabah. In order to stall extremism in Sarawak and local areas, the church will have to fight it and not only rely on the government.
09/27/2017 Malaysia (The Malaysia Insight) – The Muslim-only launderette in Johor, the ban on wearing shorts in public in Kelantan, alleged video on Christianisation and not long ago, who had the right to use the word Allah. All these show one thing: Islamisation is slowly creeping into Malaysia.
This was the observation of the Association of Churches in Sarawak chairman Rev Justin Wan who said these incidents of religious intolerance and extremism in the peninsula will destroy the multiracial fabric of the country.
“The fact that the government did nothing, like in the Johor issue, or taking sides as in the Allah controversy, seemed to show that these incidents have the subtle approval of the government,” he said.
Wan, who is also the Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM) president, fears what is happening in the peninsula could happen in Sarawak in the next decade if Putrajaya does not wake up and act.
“We (the church) can stall it (extremism) in the next five to 10 years, but it is coming, slowly and surely. They have already done it in Sabah, and Sarawak is next.
He was referring to the alleged conversion of Sabah natives in poor remote villages by Muslim groups.
A group of about 64 people, including children, from three Dusun villages in the remote Pitas district – Kampung Layung Maliau, Dowokon and Sosop – were allegedly converted to Islam on New Year’s day in 2014 by Muslim groups.
Sabah’s indigenous Christians, who claimed the groups had the support of the state government in proselytising them, reacted by organising “mamangkis” (a traditional war cry performed whenever the enemy comes into their midst and try to dispossess them of their birthright).
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