Malaysia (MNN) — “According to the constitution, you are a Muslim.”
Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs USA tells the story of the Malay people, whose government grants or restricts religious freedom based on ethnicity. Malays face the tightest restrictions: they are forbidden to convert from Islam, and people from other faith backgrounds are forbidden to witness to them.
Still, the Malaysian government seeks further clamp down. They have recently floated laws that would strengthen the influence of Muslim religious leaders in the political arena.
“For those of us who care about religious freedom, that’s concerning,” Nettleton says.
Over the last few weeks, another proposal has surfaced. This one involves stringent guidelines for Muslims attending events. Nettleton says even personal events such as weddings would be threatened under this directive.
“It’s going to impact where it can be held and how much approval they have to get from the local government,” he says. “If I’m going to invite Muslims to my gathering, I need government approval to do that.”
The prime minister and cabinet have pivoted away from implementation of this law in the face of swift pushback from ethnic minorities.
“But I think it shows the intention of the government to move in an Islamic direction,” Nettleton says.
Christians can pray against proposals that would tighten religious freedom for Malaysians.
“I hope our government would nudge them and say, ‘You need to protect the rights of Christians as well as protecting the rights of Muslims in Malaysia,’” Nettleton says.
Meanwhile, we can pray for God’s protection of the Malay people and for missionaries to find strategic outreach opportunities.
“Pray for Gospel workers – whether they be outsiders or Malaysians – let’s pray for really effective strategies to share Christ even with the ethnic Malay population,” Nettleton asks.
Believers in Malaysia. Courtesy of Unsplash.
Featured image courtesy of Unsplash
