Malaysian Christians reject permit to sing Christmas carols

(December 20, 2011) The Catholic Church in Malaysia fears that government restrictions on Christian traditions could make the country a police state. Two churches in Klang outside the city of Kuala Lumpur recently received notices from police asking for the names and addresses of people who were singing Christmas carols and claiming that a government mandated permit was required for those wishing to sing carols in their homes or churches. Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing, head of the Malaysian bishops' conference, told Vatican-based Fides news agency that the country will soon be in “a police state” if authorities continue demanding such “bureaucratic requirements.” Father Andrew Lawrence, head of the diocesan “Herald” newspaper, called the police action “a strict interpretation” of current regulations on “worship and freedom of religion” in the country. He noted, however, that after protests by local Christians, “government representatives have denied the need for such authorizations.”