ICC Note: Two small bombs were hurled from the back of motorbike at a church in the Northern half of the Malaysian peninsula on Sunday night in an attack reminiscent of the violence faced by Christians in the country in 2010. Only one bomb exploded and no one was injured. In addition banners mocking the use of the word “Allah” by Christians in the country appeared overnight in front of three churches. The attacks mark an alarming new level in the controversy over the use of the Arabic word for God by non-Muslims. The controversy is partially a gauge for the consistently rising level of intolerance towards minority faiths as radical Islamic theology spreads in the country.  
1/27/2014 Malaysia (AsiaNews) – Two men on a motorcycle threw two Molotov cocktails at the church of the Assumption in Penang last night, only one of which exploded without causing serious damage or injuries . However, the gesture adds to concerns about a possible escalation of tensions between the Muslim majority and the Catholic community , already heightened by the controversy concerning the use of the word ” Allah ” to describe the Christian God.
The attack is reminiscent of the wave of sectarian violence that hit the country in 2010, with dozens of churches and other places of worship (whether Christian or not) the target of terrorist attacks or acts of vandalism. The bomb attacks followed derogatory banners appearing outside three different churches in Penang with the inscription: “Allah is great, Jesus is the son of Allah.” So far no one has claimed responsibility for the act, which has raised outrage among religious leaders in the area.
Local sources believe it is an attempt to provoke Christians using the tactic of “reverse psychology”.
Malaysian police have opened an investigation into the events of yesterday and last night. The Interior Minister Ahmad Zahid is appealing for calm and hopes that “Christian and Muslim” leaders are able to maintain control and prevent further violence. “I invite each of you, individuals or groups – he added – not to give in to these provocative acts. What matters is harmony between religions”.
The attack on the church and the provocative banners come in the wake of renewed controversy over the use of the word “Allah” for non-Muslims, which began following the confrontation – that ended up in a court case – between the editor of the Catholic weekly, the Herald, and the government. Last October, a judgment of the Court of Appeal effectively denied the Catholic weekly directed by Fr . Lawrence the right to print the word “Allah” when describing the Christian God. The priest then requested to appeal the sentence. In Malaysia, out of a population of more than 28 million people, the majority (60 per cent) are Muslim, followed by Buddhists. Christians constitute the third largest group numbering around 2.6 million. A few years ago, a 400-year-old Latin-Malay dictionary was re-issued. It shows that Allah was used in the Bible as the word for God in the local language.
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