Malaysia's simmering religious and racial conflicts could worsen after worshippers Wednesday found the severed heads of wild boars at two mosques, amid a dispute over whether Christians can use the term "Allah" as a translation for "God."

Muslims consider pigs unclean, and leaving boar heads at a mosque is a potentially inflammatory insult, mirroring an incident last year when Muslim activists flung a severed cow head on a proposed site for a Hindu temple near Kuala Lumpur.

Wednesday's incident is considered the most offensive case of sacrilege against a Muslim place of worship since a storm erupted over the use of the Arabic word "Allah." It threatens to further upset this resource-rich, racially diverse country and complicate Prime Minister Najib Razak's efforts to build a multiracial support base before national elections, which must be held by 2013.

Adding to tensions, the trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on sodomy charges--the second he has faced in little more than a decade--is scheduled to begin next week. Mr. Anwar leads a multiracial opposition alliance trying to replace Malaysia's government after 57 years in power. Prosecutors accuse him of sodomizing a young male aide in 2008--an illegal act in Malaysia. Mr. Anwar, 62 years old, says the story was fabricated to destroy him.
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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • Violence • * International News & Commentary • Asia • Malaysia • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Faiths • Islam

1. Brian from T19 wrote: Terrible. January 29, 8:54 am | [comment link]

2. RandomJoe wrote: I don’t usually agree with Brian - but agree with his assessment here. Terrible. January 29, 4:14 pm | [comment link]

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