The Malaysian Government’s silence in the face of Islamist extremism could destroy the harmony of the country’s multi-racial society, the Anglican Bishop of West Malaysia has warned. Speaking to reporters following his election on 10 May 2014 as President of the Bible Society of Malaysia, the Rt. Rev. Ng Moon Hing said that he was “really worried for the nation in the next 10 years, if nothing is done to stop” anti-Christian and anti-Chinese provocations. In January the government raided the warehouses of the Bible Society confiscating Iban and Malay language Bibles on the grounds that their use of the word Allah for God was an affront to Islam and a violation of civil law. On 6 May 2014 the president of the Islamic Society of Malaysia Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman said allowing Chinese migration to Malaya was “a mistake” that must be rectified. He added that the Chinese were intruders who had been brought to Malaya by the British to oppress Malays. Bishop Ng warned “If the fabric (of society) is torn to a position that it cannot be mended, I feel very sad for the next generation. My generation is retiring, your generation will be very difficult to mend… trust is difficult to mend.” He added religious faiths must promote the community. “It must promote harmonious living, living together and sharing, then only the religion can survive and the nation will have parallel benefits from it,” he said.
