(May 29): The church in Taman Medan which removed its cross following a protest last month will return the Christian symbol to its place on its building soon, said the senior pastor of the church.

Rev Paul Packianathan of the Community of Praise Petaling Jaya Church told The Malaysian Insider that the church leadership has decided that the cross will be put up again and that the timing would depend on the availability of the contractor they have commissioned for the job.

He also said that nobody could deny the church its symbol of faith.

On April 19, a group of 50 Muslim residents from the Taman Medan community protested in front of the shoplot where the house of worship was located and demanded that the cross affixed to the building facade be taken down.

They said the cross was a challenge to Islam and would sway the faith of youth in the area.

Pastor Victoria, Paul's wife, who was conducting the service that Sunday then decided to remove the cross for safety and security reasons.

Following the incident, Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali said that the church should put back the cross on the building's facade as it was the symbol of Christianity.

The Selangor government also clarified that churches do not need permits to hold worship services in shoplots or commercial properties, and that only a notification of their activities to the state's Council on Non-Islam Affairs, was required.

When asked if he was afraid that there will be further protests if the cross is put back, Paul said today that the question should be posed to the authorities concerned.

"That is a question for the authorities, what they will do if there is another protest," he said.

He added that as Malaysians, they just wanted to live in peace and harmony.

"We want to live in peace with everyone and don't want any hassle.

"At the same time it is our symbol and nobody can deny us that," he added.

Among the protesters was Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar's brother, Datuk Abdullah Abu Bakar, who said he was there to help calm the situation.

At the Dewan Rakyat earlier this week, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in a written reply to DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said that  police were investigating the case under Section 448/511 of the Penal Code for attempted intrusion into a building.

He said those identified have been summoned to give statements and police were in the process of completing the investigation papers to be forwarded to the Attorney-General's Chambers for further action. – The Malaysian Insider