According to International Christian Concern (ICC) police stormed the group’s hotel rooms and arrested four people for ‘disturbing religious harmony.’ The incident happened in Malaysia where ICC said conservative locals complained to authorities over the group’s behaviour. Police in the tourist resort of Langkawi Island then raided the hotel where the Christians were staying and arrested two men and two women aged between 27 and 60.
ICC, an organisation which highlights the persecution of Christians across the globe, said Malaysian police received reports from local people who were unhappy about the missionaries, who are all from Finland, before raiding the hotel.
Police then searched the Christians’ rooms and confiscated more than 300 leaflets which they had planned to hand out.
The Finns had only been in the country two days having flown more than 5,500 miles before their arrest.
They were charged with disturbing religious harmony in the predominantly Muslim country.
More than 60 percent of Malaysians follow Islam while less than 10 percent are Christians in what is quite a strict country on religious freedom.
Another 20 percent of people are Buddhist, six percent are Hindus while the remaining 3.4 percent follow traditional Chinese religions.
However the Malaysian constitution does not guarantee religious freedom and Malays are not allowed to convert from Islam to any other religion. International Christian Concern explained how the four arrested Christians now face five years in a Malaysian prison.
An ICC statement said: “On November 20, four Finnish nationals, two men and two women between the ages of 27 and 60, were arrested for allegedly passing out Christian pamphlets on the streets in Malaysia.
“The group was arrested from their hotel room on Langkawi Island, a popular tourist destination.
“When they were arrested, police went through their rooms and confiscated 336 Christian pamphlets.
“Mohamad Iqbal Ibrahim (Langkawi district police chief superintendent) told the local media that the arrest was made following complaints from local citizens.
“The four Christians arrived just two days prior to their arrest and in the two short days the police said that reports regarding their activities had been filed.
“The four Christians remain in custody today on the charges of ‘disturbing religious harmony.’
“If they are found guilty in court they could face up to five years in a Malaysian prison.
“This is the third report of foreigners or Malay nations being arrested for Christian activities in recent weeks. Earlier, five Nigerians were arrest for Christian activities followed by six locals for similar activities.
“In Malaysia, it is illegal to convert from Islam to Christianity and therefore it is against the law to evangelise in Malaysia.”