KUALA LUMPUR: Four Finns have been arrested on a holiday island in Muslim-majority Malaysia for allegedly distributing pamphlets about Christianity, police said Wednesday, and may face up to five years in jail.
Religion is a deeply sensitive issue in Malaysia, where more than 60 percent of the populaton is Muslim, and critics say rising conservatism has chipped away at a traditionally tolerant brand of Islam in recent years.
Authorities detained the two men and two women on Tuesday after receiving complaints from members of the public that they were handing out Christian materials on the popular resort island of Langkawi, said local police chief Mohamad Iqbal Ibrahim.
“Police have arrested four Finnish nationals in Langkawi for allegedly distributing religious material in a public place,” he told AFP.
“They were distributing pamphlets related to Christianity.”
The Finns, aged between 27 and 60, were arrested at a hotel and police seized pens, notebooks and a bag.
They are accused of breaking laws that forbid people from disturbing religious harmony. If found guilty, they could be jailed for between two and five years.
The suspects have been remanded in custody while police investigate.
Langkawi, a jungle-clad island in northwest Malaysia, attracts millions of tourists to its palm-fringed beaches every year.
Malaysia, home to about 32 million people, has sizeable ethnic Chinese and Indian communities who have long complained about rising Islamization.
In 2010, three churches were attacked with firebombs, causing major damage to one, as Muslims sought to prevent Christians from using the word “Allah.”
Issues related to race, religion and language are considered sensitive in Malaysia, which witnessed deadly riots between members of the majority Malay community and ethnic Chinese in 1969.
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Finns held in Muslim Malaysia over ‘Christian pamphlets’
Finns held in Muslim Malaysia over ‘Christian pamphlets’
- hey are accused of breaking laws that forbid people from disturbing religious harmony, and could be jailed for up to five years
- Issues related to race, religion and language are considered sensitive in Malaysia
Arrivederci Milan Cortina. Italian organizers contemplating Rome bid for 2040 Summer Olympics
- The entire idea of the Milan Cortina Games was born out of the rejection of Rome’s bid for the 2024 Olympics by then-Mayor Virginia Raggi a decade ago
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO: Goodbye Milan Cortina. See you in Rome in 2040?
Now that the just-concluded Winter Olympics have been hailed for setting “a new, very high standard” by IOC President Kirsty Coventry, Italian organizers are contemplating a bid for the 2040 Summer Games.
“I think our country deserves another Summer Olympics,” Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) president Luciano Buonfiglio said over the weekend. “But let’s take it step by step. A candidacy has to be agreed on and shared with the government.”
The idea of the Milan Cortina Games was born out of the rejection of Rome’s bid for the 2024 Olympics by then-Mayor Virginia Raggi a decade ago. That came four years after then-Premier Mario Monti scrapped the city’s candidacy for the 2020 Games because of financial concerns; and after a Rome bid was narrowly defeated by Athens in the final round of voting for 2004.
“Scars help you remember” the defeats, said Giovanni Malagò, the head of the Milan Cortina organizing committee and former CONI president.
But Malagò, who is also an IOC member, suggested that Rome has a couple of key advantages in Olympic circles: its “unique” history of failed bids and the centerpiece venue for any Summer candidacy.
“Rome has a 70,000-seat stadium with an athletics track — which is huge in terms of sustainability,” Malagò said.
The existing Stadio Olimpico and surrounding Foro Italico complex would be a natural setting for athletics and swimming — the two biggest sports at the Summer Games.
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said during the Milan Cortina Games that he believes his city has “the conditions” for another bid — especially after welcoming more than 33 million people to the capital and Vatican for the 2025 Holy Year.
“If it’s considered a realistic goal, I’m open to collaborating with the IOC, government and CONI in order to create the most competitive bid possible,” Gualtieri said. “A capital like Rome should not be afraid of big challenges. The Jubilee showed off our organizational capacity for big events.”
With the 2028 Games coming up in Los Angeles and 2032 in Brisbane, Australia; and India and Qatar bidding for 2036; the 2040 Summer Games seem destined to return to Europe.
“Now is not the time to discuss this. It’s premature, wrong and even counterproductive,” Malagò said. “We need to understand the geopolitical landscape for post-2032.”
Malagò wouldn’t elaborate on speculation that he will run for Rome mayor after he finishes off his Milan Cortina duties, saying he would discuss “ideas that I have in mind” after next month’s Paralympics.
Andrea Abodi, Italy’s Minister for Sport and Youth, added: “It doesn’t necessarily require an announcement to build a winning bid.”
Now that the just-concluded Winter Olympics have been hailed for setting “a new, very high standard” by IOC President Kirsty Coventry, Italian organizers are contemplating a bid for the 2040 Summer Games.
“I think our country deserves another Summer Olympics,” Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) president Luciano Buonfiglio said over the weekend. “But let’s take it step by step. A candidacy has to be agreed on and shared with the government.”
The idea of the Milan Cortina Games was born out of the rejection of Rome’s bid for the 2024 Olympics by then-Mayor Virginia Raggi a decade ago. That came four years after then-Premier Mario Monti scrapped the city’s candidacy for the 2020 Games because of financial concerns; and after a Rome bid was narrowly defeated by Athens in the final round of voting for 2004.
“Scars help you remember” the defeats, said Giovanni Malagò, the head of the Milan Cortina organizing committee and former CONI president.
But Malagò, who is also an IOC member, suggested that Rome has a couple of key advantages in Olympic circles: its “unique” history of failed bids and the centerpiece venue for any Summer candidacy.
“Rome has a 70,000-seat stadium with an athletics track — which is huge in terms of sustainability,” Malagò said.
The existing Stadio Olimpico and surrounding Foro Italico complex would be a natural setting for athletics and swimming — the two biggest sports at the Summer Games.
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said during the Milan Cortina Games that he believes his city has “the conditions” for another bid — especially after welcoming more than 33 million people to the capital and Vatican for the 2025 Holy Year.
“If it’s considered a realistic goal, I’m open to collaborating with the IOC, government and CONI in order to create the most competitive bid possible,” Gualtieri said. “A capital like Rome should not be afraid of big challenges. The Jubilee showed off our organizational capacity for big events.”
With the 2028 Games coming up in Los Angeles and 2032 in Brisbane, Australia; and India and Qatar bidding for 2036; the 2040 Summer Games seem destined to return to Europe.
“Now is not the time to discuss this. It’s premature, wrong and even counterproductive,” Malagò said. “We need to understand the geopolitical landscape for post-2032.”
Malagò wouldn’t elaborate on speculation that he will run for Rome mayor after he finishes off his Milan Cortina duties, saying he would discuss “ideas that I have in mind” after next month’s Paralympics.
Andrea Abodi, Italy’s Minister for Sport and Youth, added: “It doesn’t necessarily require an announcement to build a winning bid.”
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