The firebombing of the church in this Muslim-majority country marked the start of an unprecedented string of assaults on places of worship in January following a court verdict that allowed Christians to use "Allah" in their Malay-language publications.
The attacks abated after authorities boosted security and warned of a crackdown on any attempt to harm decades of harmonious ties between ethnic Malay Muslims, who make up nearly two-thirds of Malaysia's 28 million people, and religious minorities, mainly ethnic Chinese and Indians who practice Buddhism, Christianity or Hinduism.
Two brothers and their friend were charged earlier this year for starting a fire Jan. 8 that partially gutted a Protestant church. It was the first and most serious of the attacks and vandalism on 11 churches, a Sikh temple, three mosques and two Muslim prayer rooms, most of which suffered only minor damage.
Six people testified when the trial began at a Kuala Lumpur district court Tuesday. Two said they saw a group of young men arrive at the church in motorcycles just before the fire began.
"I heard a commotion after I heard glass break. I saw fire," said Mohammad Tarmizi Yaakob, a security guard working at a nearby building.
However, the witnesses could not positively identify the three suspects as being among the attackers.
The men, who are in their 20s, face a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison if convicted of "mischief by fire" with the intention of destroying a place of worship.
Government prosecutor Azlina Rasdi said subsequent witnesses will include the suspects' friends and doctors who examined one of the men, who sought medical treatment for burn injuries before his arrest.
The attacks were apparently sparked by anger among some Muslims over a Dec. 31 High Court verdict that overturned a years-old government ban on the use of the word "Allah" in non-Muslim publications.
The court case was launched by The Herald, the newspaper of the Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia, which argued it had the right to use "Allah" because the word predates Islam and is used by Christians in other predominantly Muslim countries.
The government has appealed the court verdict. Some Muslim Malaysian leaders insist the non-Muslim use of "Allah" would confuse Muslims and even tempt them into converting.
Minorities say this is an example of institutionalized religious discrimination. The government has denied any bias.
