Christian churches are taking the same stance after a video that could be used to create new tensions went viral. For interfaith councils, “religious groups should be ethical in spreading their faith” and respect other people’s houses of worship.

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) – The Malaysian Advisory Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism has urged a surau (prayer hall) committee in Malacca (Melaka) to file a police complaint against an unidentified group promoting a free Bible course . outside its premises.

Such measures could be exploited politically in a country that cannot afford more religious misunderstandings after the latest issue of socks with the word Allah written on them.

The Interfaith Council said in a statement that it is wrong for any religious group to propagate its faith outside the house of worship of another faith. Council chairman Tan Hoe Chieow said religious groups should follow an ethic of respecting others when spreading their faith.

The case became public after a 16-second video was posted on social media and began to spread around the country. It shows a small group of people sitting and standing near a book cart with a sign that reads “Free Bible Study.”

Tan speculates that those involved may belong to some “deviant sect” as the country’s traditional churches do not violate the country’s laws by proselytizing among Muslims.

He urged churches and Christian leaders to identify the group.

“While the Federal Constitution grants the right to profess and practice any religion, it is prohibited to propagate other religions to Muslims,” ​​Tan explained.

Cassel Krishnan, a leading member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), strongly condemned the promotion of free Bible classes outside a surau, calling the event irresponsible, but also warned against politicizing the event.

“Respect and tolerance are not optional, they are imperative,” Krishnan said, adding that “Churches and Christian groups in Malacca have always been careful and judicious in carrying out their activities in public.”

Malacca City was the gateway through which the first seeds of the gospel were brought to the Malay Peninsula by the Portuguese conquerors in the 16th century. After them came the Dutch.

While Terengganu is said to have the earliest evidence of the arrival of Islam in the Malay Peninsula, by the 14th century Malacca was an important trading center and a regional bastion of Islam due to the many Muslim traders who proselytized to the local population.

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