Malaysian authorities are investigating two Muslims who sparked complaints after they pretended to be Christians and took Communion at a church service to research a magazine article, officials said Tuesday.

The investigation poses a fresh challenge for the government in its efforts to reduce religious friction in this ethnic Malay Muslim-majority country, where religious minorities have complained that their rights are being sidelined in favor of Islam.

A churchgoer filed a police complaint last week after reading an article in the monthly Malay-language Al-Islam magazine written by a contributor who described how he attended a Roman Catholic Mass with his friend and hid his Muslim identity.

Police federal crime investigations head Mohamad Bakri Zinin said officials were investigating whether the two men had caused religious disharmony a crime that carries a prison sentence of up to five years.

Mohamad Bakri declined to elaborate. It was not clear which part of the men's actions might be considered a breach of the law. Causing religious disharmony is defined as taking any action that results in ill-will between people of various religions.

The writer said they were trying to confirm rumors that Muslim teenagers were being converted to Christianity in Kuala Lumpur's churches every Sunday. He described how they tasted Communion wafers to blend in with the crowd, but found no evidence to support the rumors.

He also criticized portions of the ceremony and said Christians have strayed from the true faith.

Rev. Lawrence Andrew, the editor of the Herald, the Catholic church's main publication in Malaysia, said the men had "insulted the Christians" through their actions.

"For us, this is a very holy matter," Andrew told The Associated Press. "They have shown disregard, disrespect. ... So we are very upset about this."

Norshamsinor Baharin, the assistant editor of Al-Islam, said the magazine did not want to make any statement for now. Al-Islam writes about Islamic teachings and news.

Church officials would not forbid non-Christians from attending Mass, but they cannot take Communion, Andrew said, adding that Catholics were also unhappy that the men had entered the church under false pretenses.

The magazine article indicated the men had spat out the Communion wafer because they took a photograph of it partially bitten.

Joachim Francis Xavier, the Catholic man who filed the police complaint, said the men had been irresponsible and that their actions could cause religious tensions.

"If everyone starts to intrude into each other's services and write about it, there will be chaos," said Xavier, who is not a member of the church that the men attended.

Christian, Buddhist and Hindu minorities who comprise about one-third of Malaysia's population often say their constitutional right to practice religion freely has come under threat from Muslim-dominated authorities. The government denies any discrimination.

Religious disputes include a court battle between the Catholic church and the government over a 2007 order banning non-Muslims from translating God as "Allah" in their literature. The government says its use would confuse Muslims, but Christians say the ban is unconstitutional.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090714/ap_on_re_as/as_malaysia_muslims_in_church;_ylt=Ao3PpTvTH_4LWkLUJdEYs80Bxg8F;_ylu=X3oDMTM0Y3MxNDIzBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwNzE0L2FzX21hbGF5c2lhX211c2xpbXNfaW5fY2h1cmNoBHBvcwMyOARzZWMDeW5fcGFnaW5hdGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawMybWFsYXlzaWFubXU-

these kind of people are really really dumb stoopid buggers. the church have every right to be pissed off. the authorities should take a tough action on this one.

These guys are disrespectful jerks. To a Catholic they just spat out the consecrated body of Christ. You can either believe or not believe that, but you have no damn right to spit on someone else's faith. Sadly, a lot of ignorant pricks do that all over the world - among them these particular Muslim pricks. Having said that, and speaking of pricks, Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper attended a Catholic funeral Mass recently and when it came time for Communion he shuffled up with everyone else and apparently put it in his pocket (because he's not Catholic.) He later claimed to have ingested it, but that would also be a "no - no" because again, the guys' not Catholic. So you get a supposedly "family values conservative Protestant-type guy" desecrating the most important part of a Catholic Mass. What he should have done was either not gone up, or crossed his arms in front of him and over his shoulders so that the priest could bless him instead.

[IMG][/IMG]

Malaysia should apologise to the Christian world of this insult!

Sorry I disgreed with you..

Why Malaysia we have should apologize to the Christian world, this act of two persons NOT 12 million Muslims in Malaysia. As for me, two persons should be punished for doing disrespectful act. Regardless you are Muslim or Christian or Hindu or Judaism or Buddhist we have to respect other people faith.

- Peace -

isn't that how muslim reacted when some silly cartoonist drew some cartoons of your prophet.....you unreasonably burned Christian churches as thought it was the fault of the church for the actions of these cartonist.

Now these idiots insulted the Christians and Malaysia must apologise for the insult or we burn your mosques....how do you like that!

great argument.

the act of these two people did not reflect the stance of the malaysia government. if any, the irresponsible publication should say they're sorry for the gross misconduct. not the malaysia government; who should go hard on them to set an example.

with regards to the stale cartoons, the hysterics surrounding it were rife with self interest and malicious intents by all. sentiments were stoked by irresponsible beings and entities. that's why it was out of control; whether by purpose or design or ignorance or idiocy or whatever.

if the christian community felt that there is not enough damage control by the publication or punitive action taken by the malaysia government, only then there is cause for concern. this is far more damaging.

if a malaysia publication runs the series of the stale cartoons here, do you expect the malaysia government to apologise to the Islamic world?

So far have the Mlaysian government done to take actions against the two morons and their publications ....NOTHING!
--------------------

A Catholics perspective on the Al Islam issue Gregory Chan
JULY 17 For too long, the sensitivities of Catholics have been brushed aside by misinformed Muslims acting on the excuse of ferreting out "murtad" cases.

In 2007, the Holy Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Silibin, Ipoh, was disrupted when a group of Muslims received a controversial SMS that we were "converting" Muslims en masse. This was proved to be unequivocally false. The ceremony which was disrupted was one for first Holy Communicants, young children who are receiving the sacred host, something which the Catholics hold as sacred and sacrosanct, for the first time. At that time, the Muslims stayed outside and staged a protest, and caused a great deal of fear, tension, and anxiety among Catholics.

In 2009, Muslim journalists have come into our church, unannounced and disguised as Catholics. This time, they participated in the Holy Eucharist and even receive Holy Communion, which is reserved for Catholics alone, and have the audacity to spit out and then photograph the expelled communion for all and sundry to see. And they even published it in their magazine. What was their reason for acting in this manner? Again, to ferret out "murtad" cases.

Can we not see a progression in this? They have now entered our churches and participated in our ceremonies. The sensitivities of Catholics have been completely ignored. Indeed, the latest episode is but a blatant act of contempt towards our religion. What does this white communion wafer mean to us?

Joachim Francis Xavier and Sudhagaran Stanley, the two people who have lodged a police report on this matter, subsequently had this to say:

"The 'communion' is held with great reverence and cannot in any way be mishandled or [treated] with a lack of respect. Even Catholics are not allowed to take home the 'communion' but are instructed to consume it immediately during the service. Catholics go through an elaborate process of preparing themselves to receive this 'communion' worthily and those who have not done so are advised to refrain from receiving it."

Xavier and Stanley, in a press statement, said they were "outraged that these Muslim men consumed it [the communion] only to spit it out later, have it photographed, and have its image published".The two Catholics said it was "total disrespect" for what Catholics regard as sacred.

This time it has gone beyond total disrespect. Section 298A of the Penal Code makes it a criminal offence to cause disharmony, or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will, or prejudicing, etc the maintenance of harmony or unity on grounds of religion. The fact that the journalists of Al Islam believed that they were ferreting out cases of conversions/apostasy/murtad does not afford them a defence.

Section 298A (7) provides that it shall NOT be a defence to any charge under this section to assert that what the offender is charged with doing was done in any honest belief in, or in any honest interpretation of, any precept, tenet or teaching of any religion.

Such conduct and behaviour is intolerable, inexcusable, unjustifiable, outrageous and, above all, criminal. In such circumstances, justice has to be allowed to take its course, and due process of the law must take place. I want these journalists to know and understand that there are consequences to their actions. I want these people who think they are at liberty to desecrate our rituals, our sacred liturgy, and our most Holy Eucharist on the pretext of ferreting out "murtad cases" to understand that such misguided and unfounded belief does not afford them a defence. Such belief does not give them the licence to commit what Catholics regard as sacrilege, to desecrate what we hold as holy, sacred, reverent and sacrosanct.

Over and above the journalists, I question the judgment of the editor of Al Islam who had allowed this article to be published, completely brushing aside the sensitivities of Catholics. I call on the minister to exercise his powers under section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 to prohibit the publication of Al Islam as being likely to be contrary to any law, i.e. section 298A of the Penal Code, or is otherwise prejudicial to or is likely to be prejudicial to public interest or national interest.

The same must also be said for the printer of the magazine who may have committed an offence under section 4(1)(b) of the same Act by printing a document which is likely to promote feelings of ill-will, hostility, enmity, hatred, disharmony and disunity.

Gregory Chan is a Roman Catholic seminarian.

so you agree that your idea for malaysia to apologise to the christian world was astoundingly ridiculous?

irrespective of what the malaysia government is doing, or will do, or won't do, i recognised early on the idiocy of the two jokers and the need for the government to take punitive action against the publication that carry the two jokers and the two jokers themselves.

and the lament by mr gregory chan courtesy of your googling is understandable. i would be pissed off if i were him. but if you go deeper, he was not lamenting about the malaysia government. he was lamenting about the stoopid buggers that kept poking their noses into something which ain't their business. he even pointed out our special provisions with regards to seditions. you should know this; you have the same basic torts as us.

agree?

//that these Muslim men consumed it [the communion] only to spit it out later, have it photographed, and have its image published"//

Disgusting... an insult against Roman Catholicism on the highest levels.

Clearly these 2 idiots were not "just researching" for their magazine but were intent on desecrating one of the Church's greatest sacraments or in this case, the body of Christ.


I wonder what penalty one would receive say for going into a mosque, burning all the Qurans and religious items, treated as mere Arson? Or a stiffer punishment, A decade behind bars, death by stoning perhaps?

In Singapore this would be treated as
1)"Injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class" carrying a maximum sentence of 5 years
2)'Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony' carrying a maximum sentence of 3years
3)'Act with Seditious Tendency' carrying a max sentence of 5years

If the Malaysian Government preaches religious equality (although I am unaware if they actually do) then these 2 clowns should receive the same punishment as one metered out to a person who has desecrated Islam.