(June 2): A challenge for Malaysian Christians today is the aggressiveness of "exclusive-minded Islamic authorities" whose actions along with rhetoric by nationalist and conservative groups have sown mistrust and discontent between the faiths, said a spokesperson for a new Christian grassroots group, Kairos Dialogue Network (KDN).

Eugene Yapp said the network was formed recently as a platform for both Christian and Muslim professionals and leaders to discuss contentious issues involving religion and to explore how Christian-Muslim relations in Malaysia could be strengthened at the grassroots level.

KDN came about after a group of Christians felt concerned about actions by Islamic authorities who "show no respect and acceptance for the freedom and dignity of other religions", Yapp said in an email interview.

"This is our starting point and we hope this will rebuild trust and dispel any misconception and false perception that may have existed between Christians and Muslims," said Yapp, who is the network's spokesperson, and was formerly secretary-general of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF).

KDN is different from another new non-governmental organisation, Christians for Peace and Harmony Malaysia (CPHM), which Yapp said was more of a "bridge" between the government and citizens.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is to launch CPHM today, and Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali, who is known for his extremist views, will also be present.

Yapp told The Malaysian Insider that CPHM was different in focus from KDN which wanted to deepen Christian-Muslim understanding by talking about common religious issues of concern, following growing radical trends in religious discourse.

These included unease among certain Muslim groups and the authorities over a host of issues, chiefly over the use of "Allah", the Arabic word for God which is used in the Alkitab and other religious materials in the national language.

Recently, a group of Muslims also protested outside a church in Taman Medan against the cross, a symbol of the Christian faith.

While many Christians were aware of growing religious intolerance, Yapp said there have not been enough opportunities in terms of space or forums for public discourse on these issues between different religions and at the grassroots level.

Most of the dialogue so far has been at higher, official levels, led by national bodies, such as the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) and inter-faith group Malaysia Consultative Council on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST), which represent the voices of their respective faiths and communities to the government.

"Kairos Dialogue Network is to complement their efforts at dialogue on the flip side, working on the grassroots level.

"We can do our part to dialogue with Muslims on common issues of life and concerns for a better Malaysia," Yapp said.

Another challenge has been the fact that Muslim authorities, such as the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) and the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), were often not interested in dialogue with Christian bodies.

However, Yapp said between professionals and at the grassroots, people were interested in discussing religious matters.

"This is where the opportunity is and we must take hold of it.

"Hence, Kairos Dialogue Network was initiated (to bring) together Christian and Muslim professionals to dialogue, although we are not excluding the Muslims authorities who wish to genuinely dialogue with us, too," he added.

"Kairos", a Greek word, means an opportune moment.

The Christian leaders and professionals who initiated the network come from different backgrounds and denominations and are listed on its website.

They include Bishop Emeritus Rev Dr Hwa Yung, who was the bishop of the Methodist Church of Malaysia; former senior civil servant and now columnist Dr KJ John; Universiti Malaya academics Dr Lee Hwok Aun and Dr Living Lee Chai Peng; theologian and researcher Dr Ng Kam Weng and Lutheran pastor Rev Dr Sivin Kit.

The network's first activity will be a conference on July 11 to draw more Christians into participating in future inter-faith dialogue.

Religious tensions have simmered beneath Malaysia's surface in recent years, notably over the "Allah" controversy, which led to suits by the Catholic Church and the Protestant SIB Church against the government.

The chairman of CPHM, Rev Wong Kim Kong has denied that the new NGO was a government tool to soothe Christians over these anxieties and to shore up support for Putrajaya.

Wong, a former secretary-general of NECF, told The Malaysian Insider in a recent interview that CPHM was being misunderstood for having Najib's support.

"This is not true. Najib is not using us. We approached him to launch our group and they (the government) have not funded us. And even if they were to offer funding, we would not accept it," he had said. – The Malaysian Insider