|
Christian Conference of Asia
|
About CCA
Program Clusters: Special Programs:
|
International church body asks gov't to take swift actionMalaysiaKini: Jan 15, 10 8:06am The World Council of Churches has called on the Malaysian government to take immediate action to end attacks on churches sparked by a row on the use of the word 'Allah'.
The WCC said in a letter to Malaysian churches: "we hope that immediate measures will be taken to resolve the problem and that all perpetrators of these acts of violence will be brought to justice." Eleven churches have been been fire-bombed or vandalised in the past week, after the High Court decided on Dec 31 to lift a government ban on non-Muslims using 'Allah' as a translation for 'God' in the Bahasa Malaysia section of a Catholic publication. Pointing out that Christians living in neighbouring Indonesia - the world's biggest Muslim-majority country - has been using the word 'Allah' for centuries, the WCC said it was "very disturbing to hear about this new controversy generated by a small sector of Muslims." "In fact, this action will only challenge tolerance and restrict religious freedom as well as negatively affecting the 'One Malaysia' policy commitment made by the government..." said the church group. Gov't accused of stoking Malay nationalism The Malaysian government has strongly criticised the attacks, but has been accused of stoking Malay nationalism so as to protect its voter base after the opposition made unprecedented gains in 2008 elections. After the latest attacks, Prime Minister Najib Razak said yesterday that probes were underway to bring the perpetrators to justice and that "several" suspects had been identified. The WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican churches representing more then 560 million Christians in about 110 countries.
posted by cbs on Friday, January 15, 2010 URGENT!Dear Churches and Ecumenical Partners: The year 2010 began with another catastrophe in human history. A 7.0 magnitude quake struck Haiti last Tuesday (January 12, 2010) shattering buildings and forever changing lives. While authorities still do not know the extent of the damage, it is estimated that 3 million people may be affected by Haiti’s worst earthquake in 200 years. One survivor reports there are thousands of people roaming the streets, looking for shelter. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80 percent of its people living with less than day 2 US Dollars a day. Thus the humanitarian assistance needs are greater than ever before. CCA has received information from ecumenical organizations, namely: Church World Service (CWS), Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), and the ACT Alliance, which are actively providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Haiti. Many of them are already in Haiti. CCA encourages member churches, councils and ecumenical partners to extend support in any form and in whatever way to help the people of Haiti. They are really in desperate need. This natural calamity reminds us again what we, in the global community, have the responsibility together in responding to the cries of the suffering people affected by grave disasters. CCA urgently calls for immediate humanitarian assistance to the people affected, and for a systematic and sustainable remedy to the aftermath of the calamity. Please send your contribution/s directly to organizations which you deem convenient to work with. I humbly appeal to member churches and councils, ecumenical partners and friends to remember the afflicted in your daily prayers. May God continue to sustain and strengthen us in love and compassion as we uphold each other. Prawate Khid-arn
General Secretary posted by cbs on Friday, January 15, 2010 |
