A Malaysian court Friday acquitted a Muslim man of arson charges Friday after he was accused of torching a church during a religious tensions over whether non-Muslims can use the word "Allah" to refer to God.
The firebombing of the church in this Muslim-majority country marked the start of an unprecedented string of assaults on places of worship in January following a court verdict that allowed Christians to use "Allah" in their Malay-language publications.
The attacks threatened decades of harmonious ties between ethnic Malay Muslims, who make up nearly two-thirds of Malaysia's 28 million people, and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians who mainly practice Buddhism, Christianity or Hinduism.
Azuwan Shah, 23, was acquitted because of a lack of evidence proving he had a role in starting the fire that partially gutted a Protestant church in a Kuala Lumpur neighborhood on Jan. 8, said his lawyer Rosal Azimin.
He said two witnesses testified Azuwan was not at the church when the fire started.
Two Muslim brothers charged along with Azuwan were ordered Friday to enter pleas at the Kuala Lumpur district court, Rosal said.
The brothers in their 20s face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted of "mischief by fire" with the intention of destroying a place of worship.
Eleven 11 churches, a Sikh temple, three mosques and two Muslim prayer rooms were attacked, most of which suffered only minor damage.
Religious violence is virtually unheard of in Malaysia where minorities are guaranteed freedom to practice their religion, but they often complain their rights are under threat by the Muslim-dominated government. The government denies any bias.
The Herald, the newspaper of the Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia, challenged a government ban on the use of the word "Allah" in its Malay-language publication, arguing the word predates Islam and is used by Christians in other predominantly Muslim countries.
A Dec. 31 High Court ruling granted the paper the right to use the word. Some Muslims argue "Allah" in Christian literature may confuse Muslims and tempt them to convert. The government has appealed the court verdict.
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