Malaysian Muslims hold anti-Christian rally amid conversion claims

Oct 22, 2011, 15:17 GMT

Kuala Lumpur - An estimated 5,000 Malaysian Muslims held a rally Saturday in central Selangor state to protest what they alleged were conversion attempts by Christians.

The protests come amid rising religious tensions in the country. Participants held banners that said: 'Don't Threaten The Position of Islam' and 'A United Malay, A Sovereign Islam.'

Yusri Mohamad, a rally organizer, told the crowd, 'We are gathered here today to save the faith of Muslims. The biggest threat to our faith is apostasy.'

The organizers claimed to have won the backing of 2,000 non-profit organizations representing more than 4 million Muslims nationwide.

Islam is the official religion in 60-per-cent Muslim Malaysia, which also has a sizeable population of minority Christians and Buddhists.

Minority religious groups have increasingly complained that their religious freedoms have been threatened under the Muslim-dominated government.

Last week, authorities in Selangor defended a raid on a Methodist church suspected of attempting to convert Muslims - an allegation the church denied.