News by email Donate

Suggestions

Malaysia-police-main_article_image.jpg
Wikimedia Commons/CEphoto, Uwe Aranas
World News

Malaysia deports four Christian missionaries

The two men and two women, aged between 27 and 60, were detained at their hotel on Langkawi Island - a popular tourist destination (pictured below) - last Tuesday.

They were sent back to their home country, Finland, after being accused of "disturbing religious harmony" and handing out Christian material to workers in the coastal city of Jalan Pantai Chenang.

Proselytising of Muslims by people of other religions is illegal in Malaysia.

According to Langkawi police chief Mohamad Iqbal Ibrahim, it was decided the group would not be prosecuted. Each member could have been jailed for up for five years if found guilty.

Wikimedia Commons/User (WT-shared) Adeline at wts wikivoyage

The office of Malaysia's attorney-general will send a letter to Finland's embassy to express discontentment over the behaviour of the missionaries.

Officers had seized more than 300 booklets which featured Bible verses from them.

Almost two-thirds of Malaysia's 31 million people are Muslim.

Wikimedia Commons/CEphoto, Uwe Aranas

World Watch Monitor, an organisation highlighting religious persecution around the world, quoted a source who said the group's arrests marked the third incident of its kind in recent weeks.

According to the source, five Nigerians and six locals have been detained for similar activities elsewhere in Malaysia.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate