Church Demolished By Authorities

20 June 2007

^{Photos from}^{Salem Voice}

Government authorities demolished a church belonging to the "Orang Asli" tribe of indigenous Christians in Kuala Lumpur, Kentan State on June 8. The authorities claimed that the church was built without state permission. However, according to a local church leader, the land is owned by the village head and they have the lawful right to use it for their own purposes. Local Christians have rejected the district office's suggestion to rebuild a "community center" at another site and intend on reconstructing the church in its original location.

Pray that these Christians will be encouraged to meet together for worship and prayer, despite opposition. Pray that Christians in Malaysia will continue to remain faithful, united in heart and mind.

The feature article of the July edition of The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter will focus on the difficulties facing Christians in Malaysia. To subscribe today, click here. Recently, the Malaysian government banned a number of Christian books on the grounds that they "undermined the faith of Muslims." To view a list of these books, click here.

For more information on persecution in Malaysia, click here.

Malaysia

Country Information
Population
34,219,975 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Bumiputera (63.8 - Malays and indigenous peoples), Chinese (20.6), Indian (6), others (0.6), non-citizens (9)

Religion (%)
Muslim (63.5), Buddhist (18.7), Christian (9.1), Hindu (6.1), Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions (0.9), Other (1.8),

Leader
King Sultan Ibrahim ibni al-Marhum Sultan Iskandar (2024)

Government type
Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Legal system
Mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Court at request of supreme head of the federation

Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for Malaysia
Pray that Christians will stand firm in their faith, despite opposition

Pray that Malaysian Christians will be free to practice their faith in Jesus Christ.

Pray that all Christians in Malaysia will be able to freely access the Bible.

Malaysia News

Christians Forcibly Registered as Muslims

A church in Malaysia.
Photo: Public Domain

Christians constitute a minority of the population in Malaysia, where they are frequently marginalized and pressured to convert to Islam. According to recent reports from the community of Nabawan, the national identity cards of some Christians have been secretly changed, classifying them as Muslims rather than followers of Jesus. These changes were made without the believers' knowledge.

Read more...
Classified Report on Pastor Raymond Koh

Pastor Raymond Koh

Since the disappearance of her husband in 2017, Susanna Koh has continued to search for answers. In 2020, the Christian woman filed a lawsuit against the Malaysian government in an attempt to force them to reveal what they know about the abduction of her husband, Pastor Raymond Koh. As a result of the lawsuit, the government was ordered to release the classified findings of a task force that had been created to look into Pastor Raymond's disappearance, as well as that of a social activist named Amri Che Mat.

Read more...
Latest News on Pastor Raymond Koh

Raymond Koh and his family.
Photo: VOM USA

On February 13th, 2017, Pastor Raymond Koh was kidnapped in broad daylight. More than seven years later, his wife Susanna continues to search tirelessly for answers regarding her husband's disappearance. As part of this process, she filed a lawsuit in 2020 against the Malaysian government for negligence.

Read more...
Raymond Koh's Wife Demands Answers

Raymond Koh and his family.
Photo: VOM USA

Pastor Raymond Koh was no stranger to persecution when he was abducted off the streets of Malaysia on February 13th, 2017. The incident was caught on security cameras and, although no information about Pastor Raymond's captors has ever been released by the authorities, it is believed that government security forces were responsible for the incident. Video footage of the abduction is available here. For previously published reports about the missing pastor, see this list.

Read more...