At first glance, it is easy to dismiss the non-descript building as part of yet another failed commercial district - desolate and largely unoccupied.

 

There is no signage to indicate the purpose of this grey-painted building, which was apparently unoccupied when Malaysiakini visited yesterday.

 

Its glass windows are covered with paper to deter prying eyes.

 

Only five businesses operate along the street cutting across the centre of the district out of almost 30 double-storey buildings.

 

Two days ago, however, the building was the centre of a religious controversy. It had a large red cross a few metres tall hanging overhead, resulting in a crowd of about 50 locals gathered outside to demand the cross to be taken down.

 

The noisy protest and the wave of condemnations that followed is in sharp contrast to how quiet and empty the scene of the controversy is.

 

The church occupies the upper floor of a corner lot at the Metro Square business centre, comprising four blocks of commercial lots.

 

It is surrounded by the New Pantai Expressway to the north and low-cost flats all around it, the most prominent of which are Desa Mentari 2 to the west, and Taman Medan Cahaya to the southeast.

 

The incident has put those in the area on edge and locals approached by media eager to get their take on the controversy were visibly uneasy. All who spoke to Malaysiakini requested anonymity.

 

 

‘Overwhelmingly Muslim’

                                               

One woman even asked about a group of reporters from another publication, who had interviewed her earlier.

 

“If you see them again, tell them not to publish my comments. All of it,” she said, explaining that she feared a backlash.

 

Residents and shopkeepers told Malaysiakini that Desa Mentari 2 occupants are an almost equal mix of Malays and Indian Malaysians, plus a minority of residents of other ethnicities and nationalities.

 

The residents at nearby Taman Medan Cahaya, however, claim that their community is overwhelmingly Malay-Muslim, even repeating the claim of one protestor that it is “95 percent Malay”.

 

Perhaps worsening the conflict that erupted on Sunday is the fact that the cross is in plain sight of many residents who live in Taman Medan Cahaya low-cost flats.

 

The blocks of flats are 16-storeys tall, and those living on the sixth storey and above facing the church would have a high-enough vantage point to see the cross.

 

“I don’t like the fact that the church is there because this is a Muslim-majority area,” said the woman who declined to be named, who herself is Muslim.

 

Since the cross was removed within hours of the protest, she however said she had no further objections and there was no need to evict the church.

 

Love thy enemy

 

Meanwhile, a Christian living in Desa Mentari 2 told Malaysiakini that he felt the reasons given by the protestors were “ridiculous” and questioned their conduct.

 

Among others, he said the protestors should have objected to the authorities instead of causing a commotion outside the church.

 

The retiree also expressed delight that a new church has been set up just three-minute walk away from home, instead of having to catch a bus or hitching a ride to another church, which is 15 to 20 minutes’ drive away on Sunday mornings.

 

However, if the church is genuinely unwelcomed, he felt that the church should seek an alternative location as a confrontation would create a lose-lose situation for the church and the residents.

 

“Nobody will gain, we will regret later, and (by then) maybe that is too late [...] Christians, we don’t fight.

 

“As Jesus Christ says, ‘Love thy enemy’. Don’t ever be aggressive. If the place is not conducive, take the alternative route rather than to go head-on,” said the retiree, who also declined to be named.