Malaysian court rules officials unlawfully demolished Christian church
September 27, 2010
Malaysia’s high court has ruled that local authorities unlawfully demolished a Christian chapel in 2005 and ordered them to make restitution to indigenous villagers in Johor. Many of the nation’s Orang Asli (original peoples) have converted to Christianity; they are exceptionally poor and make up less than 1% of the nation’s population.
Last week, local officials ordered another Orang Asli Christian community to stop building a church.
3% of the nation’s 27.7 million people are Catholic, according to Vatican statistics. 60% are Muslim, 19% are Buddhist, 6% are Hindu, and 6% are Protestant.
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Further information:
- Malaysian court awards damages to villagers five years after authorities destroy church (Vatican Radio)
- Malaysian tribe wins damages for church demolition, hails it as religious, land rights victory (CP)
- Orang Asli (Wikipedia)
- Malaysian officials block rebuilding of church (CWN, 9/23)
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