Pray for Malaysia

The streets of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, are filled with the nation’s diversity. Next to Petaling Street, roadside vendors fill the air with the smell of Chinese noodles. Restaurants along Jalan Tun Sambanthan cook up flavorful, yellow Indian curries. Conversations with Malaysians in the city can move between Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, and English. Its culture has connected Malaysia to India, China, and Indonesia, and with the Islamic world, but divisions prevent the nation from forming a strong national identity. Thirty-six million people from 183 people groups are spread throughout Malaysia’s mainland and regions on the island of Borneo. The people of Malaysia are ruled by a constitutional monarchy whose king is elected from and by its nine sultans.

Though several peace agreements were signed to put an end to ethnically charged violence in the 1990s, bitterness between the ethnic communities still incites discrimination and mistreatment against minority groups, particularly toward Indigenous people. The nation’s government has contributed greatly to Malaysia’s recent economic success, but leaders have been arrested for enriching themselves with public money while families still struggle. Many leaders ignore the needs of those from different ethnic communities and use their power to silence those who disagree with them. Trafficking in Malaysia fuels a black market that runs on human lives. Some of Malaysia’s people are also involved in drug smuggling, as Malaysia is situated near the “Golden Triangle,” where Burma, Thailand, and Laos form one of the world’s largest opium-producing regions.

Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity all have followers within the borders of Malaysia.  Although many religious communities live side by side peacefully, the government places limits on Christian evangelism to Muslims, who make up more than half of the population. A strong commitment to the Islamic faith is one of Malaysia’s most unifying features. Although many Chinese and Indigenous Malaysians have embraced Christianity over the past century, there is still a significant need for translated Bibles and Christian literature given the country’s vast number of languages and dialects. The Church needs the Spirit to move them to action.  Pray that God would continue this great work and draw people throughout Malaysia to Christ.