For decades, non-Muslim communities throughout Malaysia have operated under a quiet, frustrating reality. Due to a chronic shortage of land available for non-Islamic places of worship — referred to administratively as “Rumah Ibadat Selain Islam” or “RISI” — thousands of churches have found their only sanctuary in retail spaces or “shoplots.” It was an arrangement born of pure necessity, allowing communities to coexist peacefully in urban settings. However, a major policy shift came to light in May, revealing that this fragile baseline is under direct threat from systematic administrative tightening.