1. Malaysian Digest（http://www.malaysiandigest.com）
(1) Lim’s Christmas Wish: Let Christians Use The Word “Allah” For BM Bible, 24 December 2012
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP has once again raised the thorny issue of the use of word ‘Allah’ in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible. DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, in his Christmas message today, urged the government to allow Christians to use the word in the BM version of the bibles, in the spirit of the holiday, Malaysiakini reported.
“A people-centric government can also bring peace and prosperity based on the principles of truth, freedom, justice, democracy and integrity.
“For this reason, DAP urges the BN federal government to allow the use of the word Allah in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible as has been allowed in Sabah and Sarawak for the last 50 years and practiced in the Middle East for more than a thousand years,” he was quoted as saying.
Lim said if BN was truly a people-centric coalition, it would not politicize Christianity to garner support from Malay voters. “BN should stop using the fear tactics of a Christian state to frighten Malay voters to support BN, when Christians have never sought a Christian state but instead pledged loyalty to the federal constitution that Islam is the religion of Malaysia,” he said.
He said although principles and idealism had been dismissed by irresponsible quarters as incompatible with running a government, he said a people- centric government can be both principled but practical, idealistic and yet realistic.
BN’s inability to stick to principles, he said, can be seen from episodes such as the effects of the Lynas rare earth plant on the safety of the public; the Automated Enforcement System (AES) and the RM871 billion illicit money outflows.
He said a people-centric government would not have allowed such projects which place “profits over people.”
“Further, these projects would never pass the integrity test, as accountability and transparency would quickly expose the lies, injustice and cronies who benefit the most at the expense of public interest.
“Let us advance efforts to establish a people-centric government based on integrity that gives preference to people over profits to put a stop to any future Lynas rare earth plant, the AES and RM 871 billion illicit outflow of dirty money scandals.” added Lim.
DAP’s resurrection of the ‘Allah’ issue is set to draw backlash from other quarters. In 2009, Catholic weekly The Herald landed in hot water with the Home Ministry when it used the word “Allah’ in its Bahasa Malaysia edition when referring to God.
Later that year in December, the KL High Court ruled that the Home Ministry’s ban on the word was illegal.
The ruling was then followed by a number of arson attacks on churches in the country. As a result, the ruling was suspended pending an appeal from the government to seek for the word “Allah” to only be used by Muslims.
- mD
(2) Use 'Tuhan', Not 'Allah' For BM Bible, Says PAS, 26 December 2012
KUALA LUMPUR: PAS believes that the use of the word 'Allah' in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the bible is inappropriate, and feel that the word 'God' should instead be replaced by the word 'Tuhan', to reflect the original meaning of the text.
In a media statement today, PAS information chief, Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said, seeing that the BM version of the Bible is a translation of the English version, it is only logical that the word 'God' doesn't mean Allah, because the most appropriate translation is 'Tuhan'.
He said even in Western countries, the word 'Allah' isn’t used to refer to God be it in speech, writing or film. The word that is commonly used is 'Lord'.
PAS, he said, also felt that the use of the word 'Allah' in the BM version of the Bible doesn't reflect the true meaning of the original text, and that it could confuse certain quarters.
Tuan Ibrahim added, the suggestion could provoke various reactions from both the Muslim and Christian community.
He said, translating God to 'Allah' would confuse some Christians, as well as create unease among Muslims, not to mention confusing them as well.
"Although the use doesn't go against knowledge and cultural traditions among the 'people of the book', but to prevent any confusion is the best way," he said.
Tuan Ibrahim said, for Muslims, the name 'Allah' holds special meaning, a purity which must be preserved.
He said, it cannot be discarded anywhere or used in a place which doesn't befit its stature, such as likening it to any other being, with any traits.
He added that there are certain words within Islam which are sensitive, such as 'Allah' as well as the 'Dua Shahadah'. These, he said, cannot be used lightly in an inaccurate context as it trigger anger and unease in a multi-religious society.
DAP secretary general and Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng, in his Christmas message last week, courted controversy when he urged the federal government to allow Christians to use the word "Allah" in its Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible.
His statement prompted a response from PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi, who said Lim should not have raised the issue again and said those responsible should have referred to the ulama first before doing so.
The issue revolving around the use of the word "Allah" had previously created religious tension when eight churches in the Klang Valley sustained arson attacks on Jan 8, 2012.
The motive for the attacks is believed to be related to the use of the word by the Catholic weekly, The Herald.
In 2009, the KL High Court ruled that the Home Ministry's ban on the word was illegal.
However, after the attacks, the ruling was suspended pending an appeal from the government to seek for the word "Allah" to only be used by Muslims.
- mD
(3) ‘Allah’ In BM Bibles: Guan Eng Trying To Divert Attention From Land Issue, Says Ali Rustam, 26 December 2012
NIBONG TEBAL: DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng was chided for trying to divert attention from a state party leader's controversial 4,000ha land ownership in Kelantan by calling on the federal government to allow Christians to use the word of 'Allah' in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible.
Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the Penang Chief Minister was seeking to divert public attention from the controversy involving Perak DAP chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham.
Mohd Ali, who is also the Melaka Chief Minister said the issue of the use of 'Allah' word among Christians had been resolved and there was no need to bring up the issue again.
"However, he needs to create a diversion from the controversy involving Ngeh to distract the public from the more important issue on the 4,000ha land owned by the DAP Perak chairman."
"DAP leaders made a ruling that their assemblymen should not acquire any land during their term in office, so Lim should better focus on explaining the issue to the rakyat," he said after opening the Malaysian Islamic Missionary and Welfare Organisation (Pekida) 18th annual general meeting here today.
Mohd Ali said the land issue was serious as it involved a huge land parcel in PAS-led Kelantan.
He also called for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to expedite their investigation into the matter.
Ngeh had denied allegations that the Kelantan government awarded Upayapadu Plantation Sdn Bhd, the company that owns 4,359ha land in the state, in exchange for him not being made the Perak Menteri Besar after DAP won the most number of seats in Perak at the 2008 general election.
Mohd Ali also challenged the DAP leadership to suspend or direct Ngeh to relinquish his posts pending the MACC probe.
"This is a classic example of hypocrisy practiced by the DAP leadership. They are always quick to jump the gun and calling for BN leaders to resign the moment they are alleged of any wrongdoing."
"However, when their leaders are linked to any controversy, the party adopts a silent mode and create other issue to divert the public from the issue at hand," he said.
As such, Mohd Ali urged Muslims in the country not to fall into Lim's political twist by playing up the word of 'Allah' issue and instead focus on the land ownership issue.
Lim, in his Christmas message on Monday had urged the federal government to allow Christians to use the word 'Allah' in their Bahasa Malaysia version of Bible.
(4) Anwar: Urgent Meeting To Be Held Over 'Allah' Issue, 27 December 2012
KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders will conduct an urgent meeting to discuss the controversial "Allah" issue that has resurfaced, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
Anwar said this when asked to comment on DAP and PAS taking different stands on whether the Arabic word "Allah" should be used by Christians to describe their god in the Alkitab, the Malay-language translation of the Bible.
"Now that this matter has resurfaced, I think it will require an urgent meeting of Pakatan leadership," Anwar told reporters after a court hearing here.
Earlier on, the PKR de facto leader said that the matter had previously been settled in a meeting with leaders from all three PR parties ― DAP, PAS and PKR ― present.
"From my understanding, this issue was resolved. Not only was there a meeting, but there was a detailed elaborate discussion on the subject..." Anwar said, saying that classical and religious texts were referred to in the meeting.
In a renewed debate over the use of the word "Allah", PAS yesterday said that Christians should not use it in the Alkitab, claiming that it does not reflect the actual meaning of "God" in the original text.
PAS also said that using the word "Allah" in the Alkitab will confuse both Christians and Muslims.
But DAP insisted yesterday that Christians in Sabah and Sarawak, who use the Malay language to converse, should be allowed to use the word "Allah" in their Alkitab.
On Monday, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had raised the controversial "Allah" issue in his Christmas message.
"For this reason, DAP urges the BN Federal government to allow the use of the word 'Allah' on the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible as has been allowed in Sabah and Sarawak for the last 50 years and practised in the Middle East for more than a thousand years," Lim wrote in a statement on December 24 in English and Mandarin.
Christians form 9.2 per cent of Malaysia's 28.3 million-strong population, with many of them in east Malaysia using the Malay language and the word "Allah" to refer to their God.
In recent years, the Christian and Muslim religious communities have been engaged in a tug-of-war over the word "Allah", with the latter group arguing that its use should be exclusive to them on the grounds that Islam is monotheistic and the word "Allah" denotes the Muslim god.
A legal tussle over the use of the word "Allah" remains unresolved, with the Catholic Church still barred from publishing the word in its weekly newspaper, despite winning a High Court decision on Dec 31, 2009.
This is due to the Home Ministry filing an appeal in January 2010 against the High Court's decision, which have since stagnated in the courts as no date has been set for its hearing.
Last year, shipments of the Alkitab, the Malay-language Bible catering to the Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Bumiputera Christians, were blocked or confiscated at ports, before the government finally bowed to pressure and released them.
(5) DAP: Malay Bible Only Used In Sabah, Sarawak, 27 December 2012
The Malay version of the Bible is said to only be in Sabah and Sarawak, not in peninsular Malaysia. Pix: hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com
KUALA LUMPUR: The DAP today denied that its secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng, had urged the federal government to allow Christians in peninsular Malaysia to use the word "Allah" in the Malay language Bible.
"He only asked that it be allowed in the Malay version of the Bible that is used by Christians in Sabah and Sarawak," Lim's political aide, Zairil Khir Johari, said in a statement.
"The Malay version of the Bible can only be found in Sabah and Sarawak, and not in peninsular Malaysia. So the issue of the use of the word 'Allah' in peninsular Malaysia does not arise at all," he added.
Zairil claimed that Lim's words in his Christmas Day message, issued on Monday, had been "twisted" by some newspapers.
In his message, Lim had pointed out that Christians in Indonesia as well as Sabah and Sarawak had been using the word "Allah" for centuries, while this was also the norm in the Middle East for over 1,000 years.
Meanwhile, PAS – the DAP's ally in Pakatan Rakyat – has called for pragmatism to prevail in the debate on whether or not Christians in the country should be allowed to use the word "Allah" in their religious texts.
PAS defends Christians' right to use "Allah" as previously stated, but feels that it would be better for the Malay language Bible to use the Malay word "Tuhan", said the party's organ, Harakahdaily.
PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, in a statement, said that the word "Tuhan" was the most accurate translation for God, adding that using the word "Allah" would not only confuse Muslims but also Christians.
"There are sensitive elements such as the Declaration of Faith (Shahadah) and Allah, which must be used in the correct context, otherwise there could be unease in a multi-religious society in view of the present situation," Tuan Ibrahim said.
He said various editions of the Bible have been using the terms "God" and "Lord", and noted that Christians in the West do not use the word "Allah" to refer to God from the Christian perspective.
PAS secretary general Datuk Mustafa Ali and the party's Selangor chief, Abdul Rani Osman, expressed similar views on the matter when they spoke to Sinar Harian.
2. Malaysiakini （http://www.malaysiakini.com）
(1) PAS: Use 'Tuhan' instead of 'Allah' in Malay Bible, 26 December 2012
PAS today stated its stance that the Malay version of Bible should replace the word ‘God’ with ‘Tuhan’ and not ‘Allah’ to embody the true meaning of the Bible’s original text.
“As the Malay version of Bible is the direct translation of the English version, thus the word ‘God’ does not mean ‘Allah’ because the precise translation would be ‘Tuhan,” said PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man in a statement today.
The same stance has been stated by the party’s secretary-general Mustafa Ali in a report in Malay daily Sinar Harian today.
Tuan Ibrahim said that the translation of the word ‘God’ into ‘Allah’ would confuse the Christians and Muslims and raise dissatisfaction among the latter.
“It has to be remembered, that for the Muslims, the word ‘Allah’ is a specific name in which its sanctity should be preserved. It is not to be thrown all over the place, or used in unworthy situations...,” he elaborated.
Tuan Ibrahim stressed it is inappropriate to use ‘Allah’ in the Malay version of the Bible, arguing that even the westerners do not use ‘Allah’ to depict God but instead use the term ‘Lord’.
“Although the use is not against the knowledge and cultural tradition among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), it would be best to avoid blunder or any confusion and polemic,” he added.
This official party stance is contrary to DAP’s secretary-general Lim Guan Eng’s statement on Monday in which he urged the federal government to allow the Christians in Sabah and Sarawak to use the word ‘Allah’ in their Malay version Bible.
Hadi: Term is not restricted only to Muslims
However, the Islamic party’s president Abdul Hadi Awang reportedly said in 2010 that the use of ‘Allah’ is not restricted only to the Muslims, and that Christians and Jews are allowed to use the term.
He was also quoted as saying that the word should not be used in any wrong or irresponsible manner that may jeopardise racial and religious harmony in Malaysia.
Catholic weekly The Herald in 2009 got into trouble with the Home Ministry when its Malay edition used the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God in Christianity.
However in a landmark judgment in December 2009, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the Home Ministry’s blanket ban on the use of the word ‘Allah’ is illegal.
The ruling, which triggered a series of arson attacks on churches nationwide in the following month, was then suspended pending an appeal from the BN government that argued that the word ‘Allah’ was exclusive to Muslims.
The appeal is still pending in the appeal court.
(2) Don't challenge 'Allah' ban, Penang mufti reminds Lim, 26 December 2012
Responding to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng’s repeated call for Christians to use the word ‘Allah’, a National Fatwa Council member has reminded all parties not to challenge the council’s decision that ‘Allah’ can only be used by the Muslims in the country.
According to Malay daily Sinar Harian, Penang mufti Hassan Ahmad stated that the matter has been clearly explained by the council and it should not be polemicised any further.
“The decision to ban the usage of the word ‘Allah’ in the Bible must be respected by all races,” he was quoted as saying.
Hassan was referring to Lim’s Christmas message urging the government to allow the Christians in peninsular Malaysia to use the word ‘Allah’ in their Malay version of the Bible.
Lim also said that if the government is principled then it should not politicise Christianity to gain the support of its Malay voting base for the upcoming general election.
Hassan asserted that the word ‘Allah’ has been categorised as one of the 40 words that cannot be used by non-Muslims.
“The Penang mufti’s department has decided that words such as ‘Allah’, ‘takwa’, ‘haji’ and ‘masjid’ can only be used by Muslims.
“The rule was enforced during Pakatan Rakyat’s regime and agreed by Lim as the chief minister, in which he has been notified and regulations have been enacted.
“He already knows about this matter, we have already informed and the rule has been enacted,” Hassan stressed.
DAP’s coalition partners PAS also shared the same stance as the council.
PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali told the Malay daily that the Bible should only be translated into Malay with the original words.
He explained that since the Bible originally uses the word ‘God’, thus the precise Malay translation for the word would be ‘Tuhan’.
“It is only fair to use the word 'God', there is no need to use ‘Allah’,” he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, PKR was of the view that the matter should not be made into an issue, as it has been clarified that the usage of the ‘Allah’ is subjected to the government’s approval.
PKR communications director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said that this matter has been answered by the Pakatan and PKR leadership back in 2010.
(3) 'Allah' only for Sabah and Sarawak, clarifies DAP, 26 December 2012
DAP has today clarified that its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng’s earlier call for the government to allow Christians to use the word ‘Allah’ only referred to the Malay version Bible in Sabah and Sarawak.
“This allegation (that the call referred to Christians in peninsula) is not true, and DAP is disappointed that the secretary-general’s statement has been twisted to form a different meaning,” said DAP assistant national publicity secretary Zairil Khir Johari in a statement today.
He stressed that Lim, in his Christmas message issued on Monday, did not at all mention the usage of ‘Allah’ in the peninsula.
“He only demanded that the word to be allowed in the Malay version of the Bible used by Christians in Sabah and Sarawak.
“Furthermore, the Malay version of the Bible can only be found in Sabah and Sarawak and not in peninsular Malaysia.
“Therefore the issue of using ‘Allah’ in peninsular Malaysia does not arise at all,” said Zairil, who is also Lim’s political secretary.
He also noted that as mentioned by Lim, the the word ‘Allah’ is not only being used by Christians in Indonesia and Middle East but also by the bumiputera in Sabah and Sarawak for dozens of years.
“Hence DAP hopes that the rights of the Christians among the bumiputera of Sabah and Sarawak would not be denied by the federal government,” added Zairil.
However, in the six-paragraph Christmas statement issued by Lim on Monday, he briefly touched on the ‘Allah’ issue in the second paragraph without specifying to whom he was referring to.
The second paragraph of the statement reads:
“For this reason, DAP urges the BN federal government to allow the usage of the word ‘Allah’ on the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible as has been allowed in Sabah and Sarawak for the last 50 years and practiced in the Middle East for more than a thousand years. Further, BN should stop using the fear tactics of a Christian state to frighten Malay voters to support BN when Christians have never sought a Christian state but instead pledged loyalty to the federal constitution that Islam is the religion of Malaysia.”
Catholic weekly The Herald in 2009 got into trouble with the Home Ministry when its Bahasa Malaysia edition used the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God in Christianity.
Landmark judgment
However in a landmark judgment in December 2009, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the Home Ministry’s blanket ban on the use of the word ‘Allah’ is illegal.
The ruling, which triggered a series of arson attacks on churches nationwide in the following month, was then suspended pending an appeal from the BN government that argued that the word ‘Allah’ was exclusive to Muslims.
The appeal is still pending in the Court of Appeal.
(4) DAP's problematic Christmas message, 26 December 2012
by S Thayaparan
"God is silent. Now if only man would shut up." - Woody Allen
It is a simple question really. When DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng chides the BN regime with "if BN was a principled, people-centric coalition, it should not politicise Christianity to gain support of its Malay voting base", the question is:
"Does the people-centric coalition of Pakatan Rakyat think it is hypocritical to chastise Umno for chasing the Malay/Muslim vote when the DAP itself is politicising Christianity to gain support of the Christian community?"
Religious messages by politicians during festive seasons are usually banal and loaded with platitudes that pay homage to whatever brand of superficial values they are pushing at that particular moment in time.
Sometimes, these messages are meant to rile up their bases. When this occurs, it is either subtle or a full on polemic. Lim's Christmas message is the latter. Lim, who I am on record as stating would make a credible potential prime minister, seems to enjoy the taste of his foot in his mouth. This would be of no concern if he did not insist on making it a public spectacle.
At a time when the country is divided along racial and religious lines thanks to the machinations of Umno and our own communal preoccupations, one of the most influential opposition leaders chooses to reopen a still healing wound infected by racial bacteria cooked up in the laboratories of Umno.
Unfortunately, as far as goodwill is concerned, it is a sellers' market here in Malaysia. This close to a contentious general elections, an occasion like this should have been used as a reminder as to why "we are all in this together" and not as an opportunity to massage your Christian voting block with a polemic that agitates the voting block of your coalition partners, not to mention gives ammo to your political adversaries.
Going on about Lynas and the Automated Enforcement System (AES), when there are flood victims in Pahang desperately in need of charity (Christian or otherwise) just seems like partisan posturing of the most self-serving kind.
In addition, it would not hurt to post your message in Tamil (on your blog) since Tamil-speaking Indians are part of your "people centric" movement too (not to mention make a significant Christian voting block).
Cheap political mileage
Umno corruption will always take centre stage, but Pakatan corruption as exemplified by the Ngeh cousins' fiasco in Perak mired in warlordism, ethical double talk and apparently, apathy from the higher-ups in the Pakatan coalition is a festering wound that most opposition-leaning supporters would prefer to ignore.
This should be of concern to all, right-thinking Malaysians, who do not want to see a more sophisticated BN replace a coarse crude original.
See what I did there? I introduced a bit of divisiveness when I should have been spreading goodwill. I am all for a secular state. I have been upfront in my criticism of Islam and those propagating it at the expense of a secular state. I have also been up front in my criticisms of the DAP as enablers (as opposed to appeasers) with their coddling of the Islamic agenda of Pakatan coalition partner, PAS.
Let me be very clear since DAP apparatchiks are notorious for erecting straw men in lieu of substantive arguments. This is not an issue about "fighting for religious rights" but rather about the DAP's disregard of tactical acuity in favour of cheap political mileage. It would not have been so bad, if said mileage had an element of inclusiveness in it, as is; it came of sounding like some sort of sermon to a secure voting base.
Furthermore what this points to, is that the DAP by aggressively chasing the Christian or should that be Christian evangelical vote, is setting up two opposing religious perspectives within Pakatan.
In other words, the religious dialectic in Pakatan would be between Islam and Christianity. This should not be encouraged for obvious reasons. What is should be is between those who advocate secularism and those propagating Islam statehood.
You cannot make secular arguments or rather it would be ineffective so long as your rhetoric consists of propagating the idea that the religious perspective you advocate is in perpetual victimhood.
Moreover, since the DAP have been extremely successful in building up a Christian base, the conversation would always be between PAS and the DAP, with PKR playing the part as religious go-between.
This is an unacceptable long-term strategy but adequate for the short term, as long as those representing the religious perspectives in the coalition finds a balance between idealism and pragmatism. So far, PAS has been making the appropriate noises and it has cost them in terms of religious credibility amongst a certain Malay/Muslim section of the voting public.
Meanwhile, the DAP on one hand chooses to solidify its ‘Malay support' through Islamic enabling and in the other, frame their conflict with Umno as a secular one with Christianity as a convenient proxy. No good can come of this.
I have no interest in how Umno-BN handles religious tensions in this country except as an objector to anything they come up with. So far, they have not surprised me or most right-thinking Malaysians.
The realpolitik of religion
My own opinion of the ‘Allah' usage is that it is a question of free speech and not one defined by fidelity to the Abrahamic faiths. The mendacious Umno banning of the word was rightly objected to by the DAP and the vitally important question of the "secularity" of Sabah and Sarawak was rightly defended by the opposition in various ways.
Umno is in no hurry of solving the ‘Allah' usage issue since there seems (unusually) no hurry to fast track the appeal. This no doubt is Umno's way of chasing the Christian vote and PAS has no interest in being in the frontline (again) of this battle.
However, the reality remains that the opposition should not politicise this Christian/Islam tensions because for the first time, the opposition is genuinely made up very real differing religious perspectives. If the aim is a secular state than any religious rhetoric should be confined to appropriate situations and political parties who chase the religious vote should do so but not at the expense of secular ideals.
In addition, let us not forget the realpolitik of religion in Malaysian. We have to choose our battles wisely and pay heed to religious sensitivities of our partners.
I do not mean this in the disingenuous, Umno-BN ‘sensitive issues' threat but rather we should not attempt to chase cheap political/religious mileage simply because we have a religious partner who has demonstrated that it is willingly to make compromises in the name of political solidarity.
This goes beyond a cheap festive message of the DAP but rather to the heart of how Pakatan has been dealing with the whole issue of secularism. It goes to the strategy of enabling Islam and the cheerleading of evangelical Christian groups. The only loser here is secularism.
・S THAYAPARAN is Commander (rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy.
(5) Bishop demurs over PM's Christmas Day remarks, 26 December 2012
by Terence Netto
Catholic Bishop Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing described Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's remarks at a hi-tea hosted by the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) yesterday as "pious platitudes we are used to hearing on these occasions".
Speaking to Malaysiakini after reading reports on web news portals on Najib's remarks at the CFM function which the prelate did not attend, bishop Tan said:
"I don't want to sound churlish, particularly in this Christmas season of goodwill, but if you shake down the PM's rhetoric, what have you left - syrupy sentiment and clichés that have little or no connection with realities on the ground."
In remarks made at the Christmas Day hi-tea attended by the PM and his wife Rosmah Mansor, Najib assured the Christian community that they have not been marginalised.
"I don't want to be prime minister for only a particular section of the community," asserted Najib. "I'm prime minister for all Malaysians, and I've said that repeatedly."
Bishop Tan said that no one with experience of how prime ministers have run the Malaysian nation would think to remark that there could be an ethnocentric and exclusivist dimension to the PM's role.
"It's odd that Najib has seen fit to remark that he has to be PM of all of our diverse nation and not just one or another part of it," commented the head of the Catholic Church of the Melaka-Johor diocese whose two-year tenure as president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei ends on Dec 31.
"That he has to say a thing like that shows how far his office has tended to depart from a broad-gauged conception of its responsibilities that now there is the suspicion that it is enthralled to exclusivist notions of its actual import," commented the Jesuit-trained prelate.
"If he had a broad view of his office, how come when Christians were accused over the last two years of not just being ‘pendatang' but sinister fifth-columnists, there was not a word from official quarters to stem that patently false accusation which was aimed at creating suspicion and hatred for Christians on the part of the Muslim majority of this country?" queried the bishop.
Promises not kept
The prelate said that as a founding member of the Malaysian Consultative Congress of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism - founded in 1984 - and as one-time leader of the CFM, he had met, in MCCBCHST and CFM's roles, three Malaysian prime ministers (Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Razak) and "all three had not kept the promises they made at the dialogues we have had with them."
"All three were benign and reassuring in personal interaction with MCCBCHST and CFM councils but were something else when faced with testing circumstances involving religious matters as and when issues fizzled in the public arena," recalled the bishop.
"So it's deja vu as far as I'm concerned with respect to the latest assurance from the present prime minister."
The bishop said Christians have grown leery of periodic assurances from the government that their contributions to education, welfare and heath care were not forgotten when the realities on the ground suggest that "their role must be muted or diminished for reason that others should not feel inferior by comparison."
"For the good of our society, this is not a predicament that Christians can abide anymore for reason that their light cannot be hidden under a bushel and their truth frees and holds no one in bondage," said the bishop.
"I feel this determination will register soon on our polity to the benefit of those political leaders who elect to tack with it in a creative manner and to the disadvantage of those who mean to tackle it in a merely politically expedient and vote-catching way."
3. Harakah Daily（http://en.harakahdaily.net）
PAS: More practical to avoid using 'Allah' in Malay Bible, 13 Safar 1434 H | 27 December 2012
Dec 26: PAS has called for pragmatism to prevail in the recently revived debate on whether or not Christians in the country should be allowed to use the Arabic word for God, or Allah, in their religious texts.
The Islamic party said while it defends their right to use 'Allah' as previously stated, it would be better for Malay-language Bible to use the Malay word ‘Tuhan’.
“There are sensitive elements such as the Declaration of Faith (Shahadah) and Allah, which must be used in the correct context, otherwise there could be unease in a multi-religious society in view of the present situation,” PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said.
Tuan Ibrahim reminded that various editions of the Bible have been using the terms ‘God’ and ‘Lord’, and pointed out that Christians in the West do not use the word 'Allah' to refer to God from the Christian perspective.
He said the Bahasa Malaysia Bible should use the word ‘Tuhan’ being the most accurate translation.
He further added that using the term 'Allah' would not only confuse Muslims but also Christians.
The debate on ‘Allah’ re-emerged following DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng’s Christmas message urging the Federal government to allow Christians to use the word 'Allah' in the Malay-language Bible.
PAS secretary general Mustafa Ali and Selangor commissioner Abdul Rani Osman have meanwhile echoed Tuan Ibrahim’s view.
4. The Malaysian Insider（http://www.themalaysianinsider.com）
Pakatan to hold rush meet over ‘Allah’ issue, Anwar says, 27 December 2012
by Ida Lim
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 27 ― Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders will conduct an urgent meeting to discuss the controversial “Allah” issue that has resurfaced, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
Anwar said this when asked to comment on DAP and PAS taking different stands on whether the Arabic word “Allah” should be used by Christians to describe their god in the Alkitab, the Malay-language translation of the Bible.
“Now that this matter has resurfaced, I think it will require an urgent meeting of Pakatan leadership,” Anwar told reporters after a court hearing here.
Earlier on, the PKR de facto leader said that the matter had previously been settled in a meeting with leaders from all three PR parties ― DAP, PAS and PKR ― present.
“From my understanding, this issue was resolved. Not only was there a meeting, but there was a detailed elaborate discussion on the subject...” he said, saying that classical and religious texts were referred to in the meeting.
In a renewed debate over the use of the word “Allah”, PAS yesterday said that Christians should not use it in the Alkitab, claiming that it does not reflect the actual meaning of “God” in the original text.
PAS also said that using the word “Allah” in the Alkitab will confuse both Christians and Muslims.
But DAP insisted yesterday that Christians in Sabah and Sarawak, who use the Malay language to converse, should be allowed to use the word “Allah” in their Alkitab.
On Monday, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had raised the controversial “Allah” issue in his Christmas message.
“For this reason, DAP urges the BN Federal government to allow the use of the word ‘Allah’ on the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible as has been allowed in Sabah and Sarawak for the last 50 years and practised in the Middle East for more than a thousand years,” Lim wrote in a statement on December 24 in English and Mandarin.
Christians form 9.2 per cent of Malaysia’s 28.3 million-strong population, with many of them in east Malaysia using the Malay language and the word “Allah” to refer to their God.
In recent years, the Christian and Muslim religious communities have been engaged in a tug-of-war over the word “Allah”, with the latter group arguing that its use should be exclusive to them on the grounds that Islam is monotheistic and the word “Allah” denotes the Muslim god.
A legal tussle over the use of the word “Allah” remains unresolved, with the Catholic Church still barred from publishing the word in its weekly newspaper, despite winning a High Court decision on December 31, 2009.
This is due to the Home Ministry filing an appeal in January 2010 against the High Court’s decision, which have since stagnated in the courts as no date has been set for its hearing.
Last year, shipments of the Alkitab, the Malay-language Bible catering to the Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Bumiputera Christians, were blocked or confiscated at ports, before the government finally bowed to pressure and released them.
5. The Edge Malaysia （http://www.theedgemalaysia.com）
DAP: Malay Bible not used in peninsula, 27 December2012
KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 27): The DAP today denied that its secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng, had urged the federal government to allow Christians in peninsular Malaysia to use the word "Allah" in the Malay language Bible.
"He only asked that it be allowed in the Malay version of the Bible that is used by Christians in Sabah and Sarawak," Lim's political aide, Zairil Khir Johari, said in a statement.
"The Malay version of the Bible can only be found in Sabah and Sarawak, and not in peninsular Malaysia. So the issue of the use of the word 'Allah' in peninsular Malaysia does not arise at all," he added.
Zairil claimed that Lim's words in his Christmas Day message, issued on Monday, had been "twisted" by some newspapers.
In his message, Lim had pointed out that Christians in Indonesia as well as Sabah and Sarawak had been using the word "Allah" for centuries, while this was also the norm in the Middle East for over 1,000 years.
Meanwhile, PAS – the DAP's ally in Pakatan Rakyat – has called for pragmatism to prevail in the debate on whether or not Christians in the country should be allowed to use the word "Allah" in their religious texts.
PAS defends Christians' right to use "Allah" as previously stated, but feels that it would be better for the Malay language Bible to use the Malay word "Tuhan", said the party's organ, Harakahdaily.
PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, in a statement, said that the word "Tuhan" was the most accurate translation for God, adding that using the word "Allah" would not only confuse Muslims but also Christians.
"There are sensitive elements such as the Declaration of Faith (Shahadah) and Allah, which must be used in the correct context, otherwise there could be unease in a multi-religious society in view of the present situation," Tuan Ibrahim said.
He said various editions of the Bible have been using the terms "God" and "Lord", and noted that Christians in the West do not use the word "Allah" to refer to God from the Christian perspective.
PAS secretary general Datuk Mustafa Ali and the party's Selangor chief, Abdul Rani Osman, expressed similar views on the matter when they spoke to Sinar Harian.
6. Malaysia Chronicle （http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com）
'ALLAH' litmus test for 'PM of all M'sians' Najib as Anwar calls "urgent" PR meeting, 27 December 2012
by Maria Begum, Malaysia Chronicle
It looks like another storm is brewing over the use of the Arabic word for God - Allah. And if not careful, the latest flare-up in Muslim-Christian friction could incinerate Prime Minister Najib Razak's remaining hopes of defending his tenuous hold on the federal government at the coming general election.
Arch rival Anwar Ibrahim is already moving quickly to shield his Pakatan Rakyat coalition from the fall-out, calling for an urgent meeting between the heads of PKR, PAS and DAP, the 3 parties that form the Pakatan.
“This issue was resolved. We not only had a meeting but elaborated in discussions on the subject, and referred to texts, including Quranic texts. Now it has resurfaced, it would require an urgent meeting,” Anwar, leader of the Malaysian Opposition, told reporters on Thursday.
Misleading the people again?
DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng had started the ball rolling in his Christmas address when he urged the federal government to allow Christians to use the word 'Allah' in their Malay-language Bible.
But it was Najib who turned the spotlight back onto himself. At a Christmas event where Guan Eng was also present, Najib declared that Christian rights had never been trampled on and that he was "PM for all Malaysians".
Whether this was yet another foul-up in Najib's long string of political 'boo-boos', his remarks certainly revived hope in the Christian community that he might withdraw a government ban on non-Muslims using the word Allah. Christians form more than 10% of the country's 28 million population.
"Najib doesn't seem bothered about lightning striking twice. He seems to think all he needs to do to win back Christian votes is to make a pretty speech but the Christians are having none of that. They want concrete action, they want the Home Ministry to withdraw the Allah appeal. Najib cannot promise to restore Christians rights and then deny them the use of the word Allah," PKR MP for Batu Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.
Tian was referring to a landmark High Court ruling in 2010 that overturned a government ban on non-Muslims using the Allah word. The ruling, controversial in predominantly Muslim Malaysia, sparked a series of violence against churches here, catching international attention and criticism from world Christian bodies.
Political hypocrisy rears its head
According to Wikipedia, Allah is used mainly by Muslims, Arab Christians, and often, albeit not exclusively, by Bahá'ís, Arabic-speakers, Indonesians, Malaysians, Maltese Christians, and Mizrahi Jews.
However, in recent years, former Umno Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar banned non-Muslims in Malaysia from using Allah, claiming exclusive rights over the word for Muslims although such an act would contravene the spirit and letter of the Federal Constitution, the country's highest law.
When the Catholic newsletter, Herald, successfully sued to have the ban lifted, current Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein who is also Najib's cousin, immediately appealed the High Court ruling. The Appellate Court has yet to fix a date to hear the case. However the appeal did not stop a series of demonstrations from erupting.
Egged on by Najib's tacit green light to show Muslim displeasure, Umno groups held rowdy rallies and launched Facebook campaigns such as Allah For Muslims Only. The heated atmosphere resulted in violence, death threats against the Judge who made the decision, culminating in arson attacks against several Christian places of worship in the country.
Najib and Hisham were blamed for playing the racial and religious cards to win over the Malay-Muslim voters, who form 55% of the electorate. The cousins were condemned for their political hypocrisy and the Allah incident is among major factors contributing to Najib's loss of credibility among Malaysians, resulting in the hollowing out of his inclusive 1Malaysia platform.
Pragmatic U-Turn?
Meanwhile, Islamic party PAS has made tentative suggestions that "pragmatism" should prevail in the recently revived debate on whether or not Christians in the country should be allowed to use Allah in their religious texts.
PAS said while it defends their right to use 'Allah' as previously stated, it would be better for Malay-language Bible to use the Malay word ‘Tuhan’.
“There are sensitive elements such as the Declaration of Faith (Shahadah) and Allah, which must be used in the correct context, otherwise there could be unease in a multi-religious society in view of the present situation,” PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had said.
The PAS remarks were immediately seized on by the BN media to 'highlight' the growing rift between the Islamic party and its two other partners - the secular DAP and the multi-racial PKR.
In 2010, PAS researchers had made it clear it was not against Islam for non-Muslims to use the word Allah. It also vowed to stand by the Pakatan common policy framework, where all three partners have agreed to abide by the Federal Constitution.
"I don't think PAS is making a U-turn as the Umno media is trying to suggest. On the contrary, PAS' statement is that it defends the rights of non-Muslims to use the word Allah. It is only advising an approach that it thinks is more conciliatory. This is its right. But it doesn't mean that it is going to renege on its previous decision." said Tian.
"This is why Anwar has to call for an emergency meeting where the 3 parties can clarify and re-affirm their cause and struggle for all Malaysians. We do not want to be like Najib - say something which creates confusion and then quickly run away or pretend not to notice."
Equal partnership & common goal
In his Christmas message, Anwar had reiterated that the rights of Malaysian Christians were guaranteed by the Constitution and must be protected.
"The fundamental liberties of all Christians as guaranteed by the constitution must be protected and upheld. This is essential for Malaysia to move forward as a nation united for peace and prosperity," said the PKR adviser and Pakatan de-facto chief.
"Let us be committed to a Malaysia of equal partnership and a common goal. My colleagues in Pakatan Rakyat and I have worked hard over the years to reaffirm our commitment to a Malaysia for all Malaysians."
Walk your talk, Christians tick off Najib
In remarks made at a Christmas Day hi-tea, Najib was on the defensive. He insisted that the Christian community have not been marginalised. “I don’t want to be Prime Minister for only a particular section of the community,” asserted Najib. “I’m Prime Minister for all Malaysians, and I’ve said that repeatedly.”
However, Najib, who is also the Umno president, drew cynical reactions including from the highest levels of the Christian community.
Malaysian Christians have been angered at the PM's deafening silence over a series of incidents since the 2010 church arson attacks. These include Umno groups 'mocking' their faith by accusing several priest of trying to overthrow the government and replacing Najib with a Christian prime minister. Ongoing apostasy accusations, raids and the unresolved row over the use of the Allah word are other unhealed wounds.
“I don’t want to sound churlish, particularly in this Christmas season of goodwill, but if you shake down the PM’s rhetoric, what have you left – syrupy sentiment and clichés that have little or no connection with realities on the ground,” said Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing, the Head of the Catholic Church of the Melaka-Johor diocese.
“It’s odd that Najib has seen fit to remark that he has to be PM of all of our diverse nation and not just one or another part of it. That he has to say a thing like that shows how far his office has tended to depart from a broad-gauged conception of its responsibilities that now there is the suspicion that it is enthralled to exclusivist notions of its actual import."
“If he had a broad view of his office, how come when Christians were accused over the last two years of not just being ‘pendatang‘ but sinister fifth-columnists, there was not a word from official quarters to stem that patently false accusation which was aimed at creating suspicion and hatred for Christians on the part of the Muslim majority of this country?” queried the Bishop.
(End)
