Despite advice to return cross, Taman Medan church wall still bare

KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 ― The facade of a new church in Taman Medan remained bare today, despite assurances by the Selangor state government that it has every right to affix a cross on the outer wall of their shoplot.

A check by Malay Mail Online at around noon showed that the Community of Praise Petaling Jaya Church has yet to replace the cross that it was forced to remove last Sunday when protesters descended on their unit.

The grille at the stairway to the Community of Praise Petaling Jaya Church was also locked and there was no visible activity near the area.

Yesterday, Elizabeth Wong, who is the co-chair on the Selangor state committee on non-Islamic affairs (HESI), said there is no need for the church to seek approval of the local council to affix a cross on the facade of their shoplot.

She added that houses of worship are not required to apply for a permit to operate out of a shoplot, and that they are only required to notify the HESI.

“We have advised the church to return the cross to its original site to stop this precedent of mob rule by politically-aligned extremists,” she said in a released statement.

Wong was responding to an earlier statement by MBPJ public relations officer Zainun Zakaria, who reportedly said  that the church does not have a permit to operate at the shoplot in Taman Medan as a place of worship, claiming it must apply for a permit to display a cross.

The spotlight fell on the Community of Praise Petaling Jaya Church after about 50 Malay-Muslim residents at Taman Medan, Petaling Jaya, protested on Sunday against the church for putting up a cross on its facade, forcing the church to take down the Christian religious symbol.

The police are currently investigating those involved in the protest, despite a previous claim by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar that the group had committed no wrong.

The IGP’s older brother, Umno branch chief Datuk Abdullah Abu Bakar, has confirmed that he will record his statement later today at the PJ district police headquarters after being summoned over his role as mediator in the protest.