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GlobalPrayerGuide

Malaysia
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Overview:

Malaysia has three major ethnicities: Malay (60 percent), Chinese (30 percent) and native tribes. The Malays are the most powerful group in the country, and being Muslim is considered an important part of their identity. Most Christians are from the tribal and Chinese people groups, and most churches experience relative freedom as long as they do not evangelize the Malays.

Major Religion:

56 percent of Malaysians are Sunni Muslims, but there is also a significant Buddhist population. 9 percent are Christians.

Persecutor:

The government severely punishes Christian converts and strictly opposes outreach and evangelism among the Malay people.

What It Means To Follow Christ In Malaysia:

While Christianity is not illegal, Christians are marginalized by the ruling Muslim ethnic group and have difficulty acquiring building permits for new churches. Many churches work in the languages of Mandarin, Tamil and English, but not in the Malay language. No Malay churches meet openly, and it is illegal for Malays to convert to Christianity. Christian converts who are caught are confined to so-called reeducation camps that use torture and propaganda to force them to return to Islam. Many indigenous people have come to Christ in eastern Malaysia.

Access To Bibles:

It is illegal for Malay people to own a Bible, and Malay-language Bibles are largely unavailable outside Christian-majority areas. Give Bibles

VOM Work:

VOM supports front-line workers and persecuted Malay Christians. Give to VOM’s Global Ministry

Prayer Requests:

  • Pray for Christian workers trying to return to the country.
  • Pray that locals and foreigners will work together to engage the unreached.
  • Pray for a media project that will make the gospel available to nearly everyone in the country.
  • Pray that new churches will be established and filled with Malay people.
  • Pray for church leaders who are forming strategies to engage unreached people.