On 2 January 2008, I reproduced the latest article on the theological term issue in Malay by Dr. Ng. Kam Weng on this "Lily's Room". The below is another reproduction of responses and comments on his article from both Muslims and Christians（http://krisispraxis.ath.cx）. （Lily）
(1) kjjohn said, January 2, 2008 at 11:54 am
Thanks Kam Weng. This is much required and timely. In the old days it took people like the late TS Tan Chee Khoon to “stop” such arbitrary actions, but today, we must speak up and act based on our convicions. Yours is a good example. God Bless.
(2) MOHAMMAD FAUDZEE said, January 2, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Hi Dr. Ng,
My name is Muhammad Faudzee. I have read your article by the title “No one Religion can Monopolize or Copyright the Term ‘Allah’”. I understand that even in the original language of Old Testament the word ‘elowahh’ - Hebrew (e.g in Deu 32:15) and ‘elahh’ - Aramaic (e.g in Ezr 4:24) are refer to Allah the Almighty God. I have no doubt about that eventhough some Christians in Indonesia have strongly against the using of the word ‘Allah’ as God in the Indonesian Bible called ‘Alkitab’ in bahasa produced by Lembaga AlKitab Indonesia (LAI). They use to write their own ‘Alkitab’ and replace the word ‘Allah’ as ‘Yahweh’ and named thier Alkitab as ‘Kitab Suci Umat Perjanjian Tuhan’. This objection (the using of the word ‘Allah’ as God) by this group is so serious, as a result LAI has to produce this statement:
http://alkitab.or.id/informasi/alk-yahweh.htm
BADAN PENGURUS LEMBAGA ALKITAB INDONESIA
PEMBERITAHUAN
KEPADA UMAT KRISTIANI DAN
PIMPINAN GEREJA DI INDONESIA
Diberitahukan kepada khalayak, Warga Jemaat Kristiani, Pimpinan Gereja di seluruh Indonesia, sehubungan dengan adanya orang yang mengaku sebagai Konsultan/Staf/Karyawan Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia (LAI) yang mendorong dan menganjurkan pemakaian dan penyebaran Kitab Suci Umat Perjanjian Tuhan (yakni Alkitab yang tidak memakai kata ALLAH dan telah diganti dengan kata YAHWEH), bahwa:
1. LAI tidak pernah mempunyai Konsultan/Staf/Karyawan yang bertugas untuk pengedaran/penyebaran Kitab Suci Umat Perjanjian Tuhan;
2. LAI tidak pernah menerbitkan, mencetak apalagi menyebarkan Kitab Suci Umat Perjanjian Tuhan; karena itu apabila di Jemaat Kristiani beredar Alkitab dengan nama Kitab Suci Umat Perjanjian Tuhan, jelaslah Alkitab tersebut bukan terbitan LAI;
3. LAI tidak bertanggung jawab terhadap semua kegiatan dan perilaku orang yang mengaku Konsultan/Staf/Karyawan LAI tersebut.
4. LAI telah meneliti isi atau substansi Kitab Suci Umat Perjanjian Tuhan, dan menyimpulkan bahwa Kitab Suci tersebut adalah Alkitab terbitan LAI 1974 dengan diadakan penggantian kata ALLAH menjadi kata YAHWEH, sehingga di dalamnya terdapat unsur penjiplakan atau penggandaan tanpa seizin penerbit, dalam hal ini LAI, yang mempunyai konsekuensi hukum, berdasarkan UU. No. 19 tahun 2002 tentang Hak Cipta.
Demikianlah pemberitahuan ini disampaikan dengan maksud agar jemaat Kristiani Indonesia bersikap Tenang, Waspada, Kritis dan dengan Arif Menyaring, serta Menguji setiap Roh yang akan menyesatkan melalui issue sekitar nama ALLAH dalam Alkitab.
Hendaknya kita juga tidak terkecoh oleh usaha pengalihan Umat Kristiani untuk terus bertekun memberitakan Kabar Baik dari Tuhan kepada umat manusia.
Jakarta, 16 Maret 2004
Badan Pengurus Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia
Ketua Umum: Prof. Dr. Liem Khiem Yang
Sekretaris Umum: Drs. Supardan, MA
Mengetahui:
Ully Manurung, Riris Matondang & Assocites, Kuasa Hukum LAI
This group has claimed that ‘Allah’ is the name of pagan’s god and not suitable for the God Almighty. For them The Almighty God is ‘Yahweh’. Infact the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible has use ‘Yahweh’ for the Divine Name.
Moreover Dr. Robert Morey’s book ‘The Moon-God Allah In The Archeology Of The Middle East’ (1994, Research And Education Foundation: Newport (PA)) claimed that the word ‘Allah’ was using by pagan for moon god and Islam is worshipping the pagan god.
And lastly, Jack T. Chick, who drew a fictionalised racially stereotyped story entitled “Allah Had No Son” (1994 by Jack T. Chick LLC) also claimed that the word ‘Allah’ was using by pagan for moon god and Islam is worshipping the pagan god.
I’m glad that now Christianiaty has realize that Allah is the Truth Almighty God and make their revert to uphold the name of Truth God. I thanks you Dr. Ng Kam Weng.
Thanks.
(3) Kam Weng said, January 2, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Allah as a Babylonian Moon-God? There is no need to get entangled with etymological disputes given the fragmentary nature of ancient texts, artifacts and inscriptions. This is not to deny that the question of the emergence of monotheism (El, Elohim, Allah) and its trajectory is a valid historical inquiry. We shall for the moment set aside the task of resolving the relationship between folk religion and scriptural monotheism and focus on overlap of meaning when Christian Arabs first used the term Allah that was subsequently adopted by Muslim Arabs.
The fact is that the meaning of words in general, including the nomenclature ‘God’ (El, Allah, theos etc) is not flat. Even a simple knowledge of linguistics should warn as that we cannot just assume that one word has just one unchanging meaning throughout history.Linguists know that the semantic range of a word has to be established first by a diachronic analysis of the usage of the word over time. The analysis is further fine-tuned by a synchronic analysis of the word. In synchronic study we examine all the ways in which a word is used at a particular point of time. In diachronic study we seek to discover how its meaning has changed over the centuries. The most probable meaning is then determined by how it is used in the immediate context. In other words, it is usage and not etymology that determines the meaning of a word [etymological fallacy].
For example, the Hebrew word, ‘nepesh’ can have the following meanings depending on the immediate context: throat, neck, desire, soul, life, person or simply a reflexive pronoun (don’t worry, despite the semantic flexibility or versatility of the Hebrew language we will not insist that the Bible cannot be translated. All it takes is sensitivity to the syntagmatic relations of the words in context for us to get the clear sense of the word).
Even then we need to be sensitive to how a word both denotes and connotes. It seems to me that Allah (Elohim) historically denotes a meaning that is generic, but in Islamic society it can connote a personal meaning. In Biblical Malay, Allah is used to translate Elohim and therefore takes a more generic sense, but TUHAN translates YHWH or Adonai or kurios and assumes a personal sense. You might be interested to know that certain sections of the Old Testament combine YHWH with Elohim (hence translated LORD God or TUHAN Allah). My point is that we ought to be more informed by expertise of linguistic and semantics so we don’t end up making simplistic generalizations that effectively misrepresent Christians.
We do well to emulate the sensitivity to subtle shades of meaning that a word can carry. The great scholar Kenneth Cragg provides an instructive example when he writes:
“Theologies and Scriptures are agreed about his Being. They diverge in understanding the predicates they make of Him…assuming that the God of the Gospel, and Allah of the Quran are the same Lord. Emphatically so, as the subject of all the predicates made. And one, too, in many of the Muslim/Christian predicates, such as Lord, Creator, Sovereign, Sustainer, in power, wisdom, mercy and truth.
But the predicates also differ powerfully. Since in grammar, predicates are to denote their subjects, there is a sense in theology too in which the subjects ‘differs’ in line with any disparity in what is predicated. God in the Quran, is not ‘the God and Father of our lord Jesus Christ’…. So likewise, with other dimensions of faith and with other ‘adjectives’. Allah means a ‘difference’ in how God is understood….There also have subtle distinctions within their common vocabulary currency.
But we reduce everything to chaos if we suggest that disparate predicates do not relate to the identical ‘subject’ to whom they are ascribed, as if they could be, in truth, ‘gods many and lords many’ corresponding to all the confused concepts, however numerous and contradictory…
Thus, the answer to the vexed question, ‘Is the God of Islam and the God of the Gospel the same?’ can only rightly be ‘Yes! and No!’ Yes, as the common ground of all we say in partial unison: No, insofar as our convictions diverge. It would be foolish to make either convergence or divergence total, to identify altogether or to contrast only. A ruling sense of God’s sublime Oneness will best serve us in confessing Him.”
Kenneth Cragg, Muhammad and the Christian, pp. 124-125.
(4) MOHAMMAD FAUDZEE said, January 4, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Greetings Dr. Ng
Thanks for the beautiful response. This is an interesting topic to discuss together. I’m strongly believed that we share the very same God or now you have accepted God as ‘Allah’, so actually Christianity and Islam are sharing The One and Only Allah since both are the monotheism religions. This statement is supported by the Bible scholar themselves. In the biblical dictionary by the title ‘Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words’ under the title ‘God’ (in the Old Testament section) has stated:
“elah, “god.”, This Aramaic word has equivalent of the Hebrew eloah. It is a general term for “God” in the Aramaic passages of Old Testament, and it is a cognate form of the word allah, the designation of deity used by the Arabs.”[1]
So it is clearly shows that ‘elah’, ‘eloah’ and ‘allah’ are sharing the same linguistic family which is refer to The Almighty God - The Creator. Moreover, as we know that Judaism, Christianity and Islam are originated from the very same source that is Allah – The One and Only God of Abraham, Moses, David and also Jesus (p.b.u.t). Thus the teaching of these Abrahamic’s religions should be the same in the concept of God because they are coming from the same source that is Allah. Let us examined the concept of God which was revealed to prophet Moses (p.b.u.h) about 3000 years ago:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one”
(Deuteronomy 6:4)
The word ‘one’ which was using by prophet Moses (p.b.u.h) in Hebrew is ‘echad’ (Strong’s # 259).
Then about thousand years latter came Jesus (p.b.u.h), and let us again examine the concept of God which has teached by Jesus (P.B.U.H):
The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. (Mark 12:29)
Jesus has teached the very same concept of God as Moses was (p.b.u.t). Here again the word ‘echad’ is using (because Jesus was refering also to Deu 6:4). Referring to the above verses we are understand that Allah (’elah’, ‘eloah’) is One and Only God, so monotheism is the main concept of God in both Christianity and Judaism.
And finally, about 600 years after Jesus came prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) and again let us examine the concept of God teached by him (p.b.u.h):
Say: He is Allah, the One and Only (Qur’an 112:1)
Here ‘one’ in Arabic is ‘ahad’ and has similar meaning with ‘echad’ in Hebrew which was used by prophet Moses and Jesus (p.b.u.t). So these three major religions are sharing the very same concept of God that is ‘Allah is One and Only’.
When I heard that Christians in Malaysia want to use the word ‘Allah’ as God, I am so happy. Nobody, no religion can monopolize or copyright the Term ‘Allah’ as God. This issue has conforming what Allah has said in Qur’an regarding the deep believed in the bottom of mankind’s hearts (whether Muslim or non-Muslim) about Allah is the Creator of the universe:
If thou ask them (disbelieved), who it is that created the heavens and the earth. They will certainly say, “Allah”! (Qur’an 31:25)
About 1400 years ago through prophet Muhammad (p.b.uh) Allah has invited Jews and Christians to worship Him alone:
Say: “O People of the Book (Jews and Christians)! come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but Allah. that we associate no partners with him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than Allah. (Qur’an 3:64)
This is supported by the Bible itself:
So that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:6)
Isaiah has stated clearly tjat no other God besides Allah, and for us all the Abrahamic’s religions (Jews, Christians and Muslims), we should believed that Allah is perfect. He has no partners. We worship Him and Him alone. This is my humble opinion. I last my discussion with this beautiful Qur’anic verse about our Allah:
Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god; Who knows (all things) both secret and open; He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god; the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to Allah! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him.
He is Allah, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His Praises and Glory; and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (Qur’an 59:22-24)
Submit To Allah we will be safe. Thanks.
(5) Chang said, January 5, 2008 at 1:59 am
Hi Mohd Faudzee,
The basic issue here is not so much a theological one, (though its interesting)… The Christians may also wanna quote Yohannes 1: “Sebelum dunia diciptakan, Firman telah ada. Firman itu ada bersama Allah. Dan Firman itu adalah Allah… Firman itu telah menjadi manusia dan tinggal di antara kita. Kami telah melihat kemuliaan-Nya, yaitu kemuliaan sebagai satu-satunya Anak Bapa, penuh dengan anugerah dan kebenaran.”
On a fundamental level, it is a historical and ‘freedom of religion’ issue… The fact is, the term Allah has been used for centuries by Christians in SE Asia… and whether their concept of the name Allah is a strict tawheedian one or Trinitatian in nature doesn’t change the lon history of its usage. Therefore, the govt has no constitutional right to monopolise or copyright the name of God for exclusive use of any religion…
(6) Wan Aikhsan Jamil said, January 5, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Generally the Muslim in Malaysia do not know that the word “Allah” or “Elah” has been used in the Arabic Bible that existed 600 years before Islam. Even if they know it now, I dare to say, that the Malays refused to accept the truth. And this is because of the teaching of Islam in Malaysia. The teaching has been greatly manipulated by the uneducated clergy and politicians. Many of the teaching are actually defiant.
Even the learning of English Language in school are objected. The language are considered Christian. This is how shallow minded the general Malays are and has been.
An Ustazah from a reputable Girls School in Penang make a statement that socialing amongst students of various ethnic and religion is forbiden in Islam, since touching each other hand are considered “Haram”. Holding a non Muslim hand is equivalent to touching a Pig.
This is just two example of an extreme mentality of a Muslim in Malaysia. There are many more if I were to quote. Even amongst our Ulamak, opinion and interpretation on Islamic matters differs from each other. Islam has been manipulated according to political advantage and influence by the individual or group.
Trap in their own cocoon that Islam is the most rightly religion accepted by Allah.
（End）
