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Malaysian Police Detain Two Americans for Distributing Christian Literature

Two Americans remain in custody in Malaysia, without charges, after being detained for handing out Christian literature, according to a report released Monday.

Two Americans remain in custody in Malaysia, without charges, after being detained for handing out Christian literature, according to a report released Monday. A local court has ordered them to be held for 14 days to assist in investigations.

According to the report, the arrests took place last Monday outside the mosque in Putrajaya – Malaysia's new administrative capital south of Kumala Lumpur.

Strategic World Impact's Kevin Turner told Mission Network News (MNN) that one of the men, Rick Rupert, was a fellow worker.

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"He had some Gospels of Luke with him, and he had 'The Passion of the Christ' film,” Turner said. “But, from my understanding, when he was arrested, he had not been distributing any of these. A local imam, from the mosque, had called police, I guess, being upset about his activities."

Although the Chinese say it's not against the law to evangelize, Turner said the ethnic Islamic Malay don't share those feelings.

According to 'Operation World', Sunni Islam is the official and favored religion in Peninsular (West) Malaysia and there is continual pressure to apply the same in East Malaysia, where Islam is a minority. In the 1980s, limitations on religious freedom were introduced. However, in 1999, the government relaxed some restrictions, such as on places of worship, the issue of missionary visas, public meetings and publications. Yet, it is still illegal to proselytize Muslims.

In the situation of the two detained Americans, Turner told MNN the case could go one of two ways: the government could either relent and release them, or the situation could become a 'Tier 5 case,' and go all the way through the Malaysian court system.

MNN reports that the two will appear in court again on May 9.

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