1. North Borneo Herald (http://northborneoherald.blogspot.com)
Dompok Defends Malay Language Bible , 10 November 2009
At the recently held 15th UPKO Congress, its President, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok called on the government to return to the status quo of allowing Malay language Bibles to be circulated among Christians in the country.
Recently, it was reported that 15,000 Bibles have been seized by the Federal government. This coupled with the fact that some states including Sabah have issued decrees banning the usage of certain words among Christians have created concern among Malaysian Christians, especially those in Sabah and Sarawak where Malay is the primary language of the Christian church.
It is hoped that Dompok's call would be heeded by the government. But then again, the fact that certain leaders in the government such as Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi are against Christians using Malay in their worship is worrying. Ahmad Zahid had once criticised Dompok in a West Malaysian daily for defending the use of Malay-language Bibles.
The opposition too is not short of such leaders. Bandar Baru Kulim Member of Parliament (MP) Zulkifli Nordin is also known for his opposition to Malay-language Bibles. These people should know that Malay language Bibles were used in Sabah long before the late Tunku Abdul Rahman proposed the formation of Malaysia.
Are these leaders then against the spirit of Malaysia? The real hurdle now is for people like Dompok to directly engage such narrow-minded leaders.
2. Indian Catholic (http://www.indiancatholic.in)
Government partner concerned about 'Allah' bible ban, 10 November 2009
KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia : The Malaysian government faces a "herculean" task in prohibiting the use of the word "Allah" in Christian worship, says Bernard Dompok, president of a Sabah-based political party.
Dompok, speaking at the Nov. 8 national congress of the United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO), said the Malay-speaking Christian community, particularly in the eastern Sabah and Sarawak states, has been using the Arabic word for God for a long time.
The government has confiscated 15,000 bibles in the Malay language because they use the word "Allah."
"Today, some of the Christian churches who have brought in bibles from Indonesia are still waiting for [them] to be released," said Dompok, who is a Catholic. "There are two court cases waiting to be heard with regard to the word 'Allah.' I take the view that these are unnecessary."
"Allah" is routinely used for "God" in Bahasa Malaysia, the national language.
The Christian Federation of Malaysia, which is fighting the ban, says it infringes the federal constitution.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak opened the congress, attended by more than 4,000 party supporters, including state and federal leaders. UPKO is one of 13 parties in the ruling coalition. Its members are mostly indigenous people of Sabah, comprising Christians and Muslims.
Dompok, who is also a federal minister, said that bringing up the issue could cause discomfort for his colleagues in the government, but he felt duty-bound to voice the "pulse of the people."
"With the greatest of respect to those who may feel uncomfortable ... the Christian community (in Malaysia), not unlike the Christians in Indonesia and the Arab world, has been using this word for a long time. And it will be a herculean task for the government, if indeed it wants, to enforce the prohibition of the word in Christian worship."
The government has said the use of the word "Allah" in Christian publications is "prejudicial to public order" and likely to confuse Muslims and draw them to Christianity. Repeated media requests for further comment have failed.
(Courtesy : UCAN)
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