Text: Ellen Teague on Malaysia at WWDP event

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Journalist Ellen Teague gave the following talk on justice in Malaysia at an ecumenical service in Sevenoaks, Kent, to mark Women’s World Day of Prayer.

This service is just one of many taking place all over the world today, commemorating Women’s World Day of Prayer. This is a global and ecumenical movement of informed prayer and prayerful action, organised and led by Christian women internationally. It happens annually on the first Friday of March.

The service each year is written by women’s organisations from a specific country. That country then becomes the focus of the world's prayers on the day itself, which begins as dawn breaks over the islands of Tonga in the Pacific and continues across each continent until the last services of this special day are held back in the Pacific. The 2012 focus is ‘Malaysia’ with the theme, ‘Let Justice Prevail’. You may have noticed Malaysia in TV adverts encouraging you to visit this beautiful part of the world.

Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious Asian country with a majority Muslim population. It consists of two parts – West or Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia, separated by several hundred miles of the South China Sea. Malaysia boasts one of south-east Asia's most vibrant economies but the country also faces serious challenges - politically, that is sustaining stability in the face of religious and ethnic differences; and environmentally, in preserving its valuable forests and biodiversity.

Malaysia's human rights record has come in for international criticism. Internal security laws allow suspects to be detained without charge or trial, and many feel it has been used for decades to detain government critics. Last November the Malaysian parliament passed a ban on street protests, despite a rally against the bill by lawyers. Four months earlier, thousands of protestors took to the streets of the capital, Kuala Lumpur, to push for reforms of Malaysia's electoral system, which - they claimed - is skewed in favour of the governing coalition. Police in riot gear locked down the city centre as jets from water cannon flooded Kuala Lumpur streets and clouds of tear gas billowed overhead. More than 1,000 people were arrested, though most were quickly released. There was demonstrated a growing desire for a genuine and fair political choice and an increasing willingness to make that demand heard.

Malaysia is blessed with a rich resource of rainforests – among the richest in the world - but they are being destroyed at an alarming rate as the country develops. Malaysia's land surface was once almost entirely covered with forest. Today, it’s just over half the land area. We’re not just talking about trees – which of course are vital for clean air and a stable climate – but the biological diversity of life within rainforests… living species and plants. Thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of species of life, depend upon the rainforest environment. And of course tribal people who are struggling to retain their traditional way of life in a forest environment. Yet, Malaysia’s forests face threats from unsustainable logging, encroachment and the illegal removal of forest products. Last week Malaysians in the city of Kuantan protested plans for a new refinery for rare earth elements. More than 2,000 people dressed in green clothes and beat drums to try and halt construction. But what does this have to do with us? A lot actually - the refinery is set to process precious metals, mined in Malaysia but used internationally in the production of mobile phones and flat-screen TVs.

Women from Malaysia have prepared the 2012 Day, specifically the Women’s Work Committee of the Council of Churches in Malaysia, an ecumenical body comprised of the main denominations. Although women have made important contributions to the social and economic development of Malaysia, women of all races and classes still face difficulties, discrimination and violence at all levels of society. Only 40% of working age women of 15-64 years are employed. Their participation in decision-making roles is low, although a government ministry specialising in women’s affairs tries to resolve some of these issues.

Even today, a girl child is seen as less valuable than a boy and women suffer violence without protest. In Sabah, the plight of single mothers, HIV and AIDS, drug addiction and stateless children are some of the problems identified, as is the abuse and violation of rights of domestic workers who are mostly women. All these issues have been highlighted internationally in this year’s Women’s World Day of Prayer.

There are particular tensions for Christians. Around 8% of Malaysians are Christian, with the largest group being Catholics. Most non-Muslims are ethnically Indian or Chinese and tensions surface from time to time. Under the slogan ‘One Malaysia’, the government has made racial harmony a central policy, but its commitment to that policy has sometimes been severely tested. A long running issue is the use of the word ‘Allah’. There were clashes early in 2010 after the Kuala Lumpur High Court struck down a three-year-old government ban on non-Muslims using the word ‘Allah’ in their literature. The High Court’s ruling was on a petition by The Herald, the main publication of Malaysia's Roman Catholic Church, which uses the word ‘Allah’ in its Malay-language edition. I have interviewed its editor, a Jesuit priest, several times. His paper is read by indigenous tribes in the remote states of Sabah and Sarawak, and The Herald argued that ‘Allah’ is the only word they know for God. The ‘Allah’ ban was unusual in the Muslim world. The Arabic word is commonly used by Christians to describe God in such countries as Egypt, Syria and even nearby Indonesia, which is the world's largest Muslim nation. Militant Malaysian Muslims argued that ‘Allah’ is the specific word used in Quran for God and so it is exclusive to Islam, and its use by Christians would confuse Muslims and could be a ploy to win converts. The court’s decision resulted in a rash of angry comments and threats by Muslims on the Internet. Dozens of Muslim groups protested against the court decision and at times the protests turned destructive. Churches were attacked and retaliatory action by Christians was also seen at some places where mosques too came under attack.

Other issues arise from time to time. Last November Malaysia’s Catholic Archbishop criticised the government’s surprise decision to appoint as head of a girls convent school in Kuala Lumpur a person not nominated by the school’s directors.

He said: “The appointment of the principal of Convent Bukit Nanas is not only contrary to the government policy of maximum consultation but has given the impression that it is the government’s strategy to take over the mission schools in total disregard for the status, ethos and special character of mission schools”.

There is less tension about the caring work of Christian agencies. The Malaysian Christian Association for Relief was set up in 1978 as a local non-profit making Christian agency providing social concern services for the poor and those in need, including prisoners, drug addicts and HIV and AIDS patients. Christian organisations have been set up to deal with human trafficking since Malaysia is now the largest destination country in Asia for migrant workers, and trafficking of persons has become a sophisticated and organised operation. Other groups have developed to work against violence towards women and to teach about the value of women. One of the main groups is Tenaganita, an organisation that works to protect the rights of all women and migrant workers, running a shelter for those who are victims. The inspiration is Christian but the outreach is to vulnerable people of all faiths.

‘Justice for all’ is the hope and prayer of the people of Malaysia and that is why the women of Malaysia chose as the 2012 theme, ‘Let Justice Prevail’.

Women’s World Day of Prayer is an important initiative and I am delighted to celebrate it here in Sevenoaks. Women of Malaysia would be so touched to know of your prayer service today, with all the trouble you have gone to with planning the service, decorating the church, involving the local school and many other aspects. As I’ve said, this service will be one of hundreds of thousands organised by Christian women in more than 170 countries and regions. This movement brings together women of various races, cultures, and traditions in closer fellowship, understanding, and action throughout the year. Today, women around the world will affirm our faith in Jesus Christ, as well as share our hopes and fears, opportunities and needs, and concern to bring “good news to the poor”.

Through the World Day of Prayer, women are encouraged to become aware of the whole world and to be enriched by the faith experience of Christians of other countries and cultures, such as Malaysia. Also, to take up the burdens of other people and pray with and for them. Such a movement of love and solidarity is so vital in the world today.

For a report on the event, see: www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=19975

Women’s World Day of Prayer in England, Wales and Northern Ireland www.wwdp-natcomm.org