Muslim billboard vandalized in Malawi as Eid-al-Adha approaches
Unknown people believed to Christians have vandalized a Muslim billboard with a message urging people to read what it calls the last Testament, the Holy Quran having read the Old and New Testaments.
The vandalism came barely hours after the Evangelical Association of Malawi reacted angrily to the mounting of the billboard describing it as provocative.
It also comes when Muslims prepare to celebrate the festival of Eid-al-Adha this Friday.
Police said they were investigating the matter.
The mounting of the billboard divided opinion in social media platforms, with some describing it as religious intolerance while others said the Muslims provoked the situation by referring to the Bible.
In the statement, the Evangelical Association of Malawi chairperson Reverend Zacc Kawalala has told the Blantyre city council to pull down the billboard within seven days.
“We want to clearly state here that the Old Testament and the New Testament are books in the Christian Bible.
“Therefore reference told the Old Testament and New Testament in such a manner, in a country that is predominantly Christian, even without specifically mentioning the Bible, tantamount to a comparison between the Bible and the Quran.
“Such an action is unacceptable and a recipe for religious conflict in the country,” says the statement.
Kawalala says Chrisitians in the city will decide their next course of action if the billboard is not pulled down within the seven days.
There was no immediate comment from council officials and the Muslim Association of Malawi on the matter but Islamic Information Bureau’s Sheikh Ahmed Chiyenda said it is unfortunate that the message on the billboard has been concluded wrongly.
“I must say we are disappointed with the way the Council has acted to the plea by Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) through Dr Zac Kawalala because we trust our leaders to help in such matters, but they just got it from one side and acted. We have seen Billboards in town carrying explicit messages but no one complains, it’s only a problem because we have ours carrying the message of our Quran?” questioned Chiyenda.
Social-political commentator Stanly Onjezani Kenani wrote on his Facebook page that to him, the Billboard was ‘entirely’ harmless.
“To me this billboard was entirely harmless. I have read the Holy Quran, have memorised the surah al-fatihah, surah al-ikhlas and others. I found no harm at all reading the book. In any case, this billboard was just an advert. No one was being forced to actually read the Quran.
“Going as far as forcing the billboard’s removal is an overreaction, and smacks of religious intolerance. I have many Muslim friends who studied Bible Knowledge with us, back in secondary school days. This did not convert them to Christianity, just in the same way as my reading the Holy Quran and memorising some surahs did not convert me to Islam,” he said.
President Lazarus Chakwera is a devout Christian who was once a pastor at Assemblies of God and lectured in Theology at college.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
Problem with Islam and muslims at large is that they want to force their sect or cult, on to people by way of force or torture people to convert to Islam. What kind of religion force people to convert. Thats why it is a cult of lunatics and fundamentalists. Their aim is to spread and impose Islam by way of extremism and terror. They are pedophilia hypocrites, adultary is way of life. So called Muhammed was never a prophet, he was a rapist and a goon. He married little girls and used them as sex objects. He was worse than… Read more »
You are a sick man….read history properly. If it was not forl islam , race would still be a problem .remember that 1500 years ago Islam never discriminated any race.
You are stupid still brains of a bushman…go F.yourself.
I think that you, tracker must go and fuck yourself!
The Bible is Christian’s trademark and it is an offense to add someone’s trademark to your product no matter how precious you think it is. Why is it that in countries which are predominantly Muslim are comfortably called Islamic states but those which are predominantly Christian then moslems are quick to address them as secular states? In countries like Saud Arabia, Iran and so on, there are a small percentage of Christians and they practice Islamic cultures (not religion) by virtue but that doesn’t make them moslems and they can’t dare publicly compare their Christianity and Islam or the Bible… Read more »
With this kind of religious intolerance expect what happened in central African republic to happen in Malawi , watch and see . It starts like this then it escalate ,
This was once a peaceful Malawi don’t turn it into your personal assert and do whatever you want because you think you are many.
So that billboard was intended that such a thing should also occur in Malawi. No. It has been pulled down. This is Malawi not Central African Republic.
Bang on Martin, you have hit the pig tipped nail on Muhammeds head. These swineshitheads are the worst hypocrites in the world. Islam originated with Arabs, but then this thug n rapist swine, Muhammad killed and tortured people forcing to convert or die. Since then it has become a cult and not a religion. Religions preach love n peace, not terror and extremism. They are indeed allowed to be called Islamic state, and no non Muslim is allowed to speak out about any other religion, then hes killed in the name allah, what bloody rubbish. How can one go to… Read more »
It is Malawi’s constitution which declares our country a secular state. Take note that Muslims believe in Jesus and love him. Jesus is mentioned in the Quran 25 times and Muhammad is mentioned only 5 times. So you lie when you say Muslims speak bad of Jesus.
Look here, Logic first, whether moslems read the bible or not we christians don’t worry because we know that if you read it you will learn the truth about God. However we haven’t got appetite to read your quran because we already know the truth.
What sort of nonsense. The bible is comprised of the ” old testament” . Its Jewish even Jesus was a jew and at no point did he ever say that he had stopped being a Jew. Christians came. Adopted the old testament and added a new testament. Moslems came adopted the old, new and added another one. Another one shall also come adopt the 3 and add the 4th. Mukulimbanirananji.
Muslims u have all the rights to preach your messages in the book of Quran but don’t make comparison with other people’s belief by referring to the Holly Bible.
That was indeed a provocation by any means . Don’t even attempt to start fighting otherwise we are 100% ready to defend our belief as Christians as well.
It will be the same scenario as it happens in Central Africa Republic .
Removing the billboard is provocative not the message there
It was removed because it was erected on public land which belongs to government. Besides, it stirred religious sensitivity because of the comparison it portrayed.
This Onjezani dude is overrated.
Muslims would not take kindly to any statement that tells them that after reading the Quran they should read the bible for miracles.
We Muslims read the Bible dlso I don’t know what you are saying
It was not unknown people, it was city assembly.
I wonder why they acted that way.
I think its high time pastors work on their followers by telling them truth instead of prohibiting people from knowing the truth about Islam. How can someone claim that the Bible belongs to the Christians, Muslims use the Bible as well.
If you’re a true Christian, then read the last testament. You will know who Jesus is. You will even know his grand father.
Muhammad anadyedwa ndi nkhumba!
Indeed you mentioned Jesus in Koran , in bad faith, always you pick argument verses and you compare, you behave like Jehovah witness, just mind your business
Leave JW out of this. There is only one Jehovah
MCP is behind this
That bill board has been there when PPM was in power but no one complained about it.. whether you destroy it peaple will still believing in One GOD the Almighty.
Quran is not a last testament rather a holy book for muslims. ndiye adzipange wokha censor before blaming others and the message is really proactive.
….provactive
If someone cames to your house to break your plates because he doesn’t like the coulor does that mean he is right cause he doesn’t like it? Caution your self how many advert Christian’s have put in place , did Muslim oder the removal of any?
Reverend Dr. Zacc Kawalala is not a Genuine Christian. He doesn’t know Christianity for sure but he pretends to be knowing the Bible while in actual sense he is totally blank.
MCP is an oppressive party that does not believe in religious freedoms and tolerance. Chakwera is starting to show his colours