A night out with the church patrol

Following the arson attempts on churches recently, several Muslim non-government organisations (NGOs) chipped in to safeguard places of worship in the Klang Valley.

The National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students (PKPIM), Malaysian Muslim Consumers Organisation (PPIM) and Kerja Badan Tarbiah Sejagat (Batas) with the help of Rela, have pledge to patrol selected churches from 10pm to 5am everyday until further notice.

Malaysiakini, last night, accompanied the groups as they conducted their patrols.

Mega Chinese Methodist Church, Kota Damansara

10:30pm We arrive to find eight Rela officers already waiting for the NGOs. The church is located at the corner of a row of shoplots and only small sign on the door indicated that it is a church.

Rela's Petaling district officer Ghazali Abdul Razak tells us that all nine districts in the Klang Valley will be patrolled by Rela. "Our strategy is to patrol, and not to be permanently stationed at the churches," he says.

Speaking from experience, Ghazali ( right ) tells us that while the presence of Rela might serve as a deterrent, it nevertheless makes it harder to nab possible arsonists.

"We currently have four teams of four, who will be deployed to Sri Kembangan, Petaling Jaya, Puchong and Kota Damansara," he says, adding that they will also monitor mosques and other high risk areas.

11:30pm The NGOs arrive an hour later, with nine representatives from PPIM and Batas. The jovial group, wearing tags that read Safety Patrol Team, tells us that they are late because they had earlier patrolled 10 other churches in Kuala Lumpur.

Mohd Nazri Mohammad, 34, who is on his second night of volunteering, tells us that he is happy to do it despite the fact that he has to be up for work tomorrow.

"I'm doing this because I don't want people to have negative perceptions of Islam. We are Muslims too, and not all Muslims behave like (the arsonists)," he says.

When we ask him how he felt when he first heard of the church attacks, he immediately answers: "Proud."

Nazri ( left ), wearing a thick necklace and flashy pendant, laughs when we point out his contradiction, and he corrects himself, saying he is "proud that someone is defending Islam".

He adds that he is disappointed with the fact that the usage of the word ‘Allah' is still disputed when it should clearly be the sole right of Muslims.

UiTM student, Mohamad Azrul Nor Ahmad, 20, who was wearing a T-shirt with the letters SWAT emblazoned across his chest, says he will be patroling for as long as required.

Their leader, Saharudin Bakar, tells us that the churches listed were selected by his superior, PPIM secretary Nadzim Johan, and he is only following instructions.

Earlier Malaysiakini had contacted several of the churches, and found that its officials were unaware of the patrol, with a number already have existing security guards.

However, Saharudin', informs us that none of the churches on the list were guarded.

Some church officials expressed discomfort with the idea of the patrol, as they consist of the same people who were protesting against the usage of the word 'Allah' by non-Muslims at mosques in Klang Valley last Friday.

11:45pm After a quick briefing from Rela, we adjourn to the next church located in Petaling Jaya in a convoy of nine cars.

First Baptist Church, Petaling Jaya

11:55pm The convoy breaks up mid way and we arrive with two other Rela officers. The church is located in a quiet neighbourhood beside a Buddhist temple.Unlike the first church, it is easily recognisable because of its architectural structure.

The sign board reads: First Baptist Church: Aflame God and neighbour. A Nepali security guard tells us that had employed a year ago and is stationed at the church for 12 hours each night.

Moments later, the rest of the Rela group arrives but without the NGOs who have apparently gotten lost. A patrolling ‘ninja' squad officer who rides a Kawasaki scrambler stops by and tells us that the quiet neighbourhood is rife with break-ins.

Assunta Hospital Church, Petaling Jaya

12:15am We were met with a friendly guard, who assured us that nothing fishy has emerged. The ex-Gurkha soldier has been with the church for the past seven months and like his counterpart in the First Baptist Church, is stationed with another guard for 12 hours each night.

Meanwhile, a police patrol car pulls over in front of the church gates, upon which a plain-clothes officer alights and tells us that he is from the Special Branch.

The officer says that the Special Branch is doing patrols from 10pm to 6am daily, and that they have two teams in Petaling Jaya. "We will be patrolling the streets indefinitely, as will the main police force," he says.

The Rela officers inform him that they will be reporting to respective police stations before their rounds each night.

The officer appears to be pleased with the efforts of Rela and NGOs, who at this point are still missing in action. One of the Rela officers jokes that maybe the NGOs had gone home, prompting us to give them a call.

True enough, when contacted, Saharuddin admits that they are back home and "waiting for the next shift", which he earlier told us was at 3am.

Bible College of Malaysia, Petaling Jaya

12:40am A Micheal Jackson tune is heard wafting from the brightly-lit guard house, but no one is around. After a couple of minutes, two men arrive at the the gate to greet us and a short conversation takes place between Rela and the guards.

It is not uncommon for Rela to make contact with security guards to ensure the effectiveness of the operation. One of the Rela officers laments the fact that he would have to be at work by 8am tomorrow, a fate which we are relieved not to share.

This is our last stop so we thank the Rela officer before leaving him and his team to continue their rounds until 5am.