1. Malaysiakini（http://www.malaysiakini.com）
(1) Stop politicising the Allah issue, 29 December 2012
by Baru Bian
The basis for arguing whether non-Muslims can use the word ‘Allah' to refer to god must rest on its context, etymology, and the relevant laws surrounding it.
Political expediency should not and must not dominate the debate. Too much is at stake for it touches on the very heart, soul, and spirit of one's belief and faith regardless of what one believes.
I, therefore, urge those with differing viewpoints to exercise restraint, tolerance and goodwill. We must be reminded that we are indeed treading on holy ground.
I also call on both the ruling coalition and the opposition to agree to a common moratorium not to use the Allah or Alkitab issue as political posturing for the forthcoming 13th general elections.
This is not to suggest that we must avoid discussing it at the appropriate forum.
Ten percent or slightly over two million of the population in Malaysia are Christians. Of this, about two thirds are Malay speaking bumiputra Christians mainly in Sabah and Sarawak.
They rely on the Malay language or Indonesian Bible known as the Alkitab, which uses the word ‘Allah' to refer to God. The word is of Arabic origin, which predates Islam.
Christians of other ethnic communities like the Ibans in Sarawak refer to God as ‘Allah Taala' or God Most High in their Bible known as the Bup Kudus.
Our Sikh brothers and sisters, too, use the word ‘Allah' in their Holy Scriptures to refer to God.
1Supreme being, multitude names
But not all Christians use the word Allah to refer to God. They use appropriate words for it. For the English language Bible, the word, needless to say is ‘God' and not ‘Allah.'
Likewise, the Chinese and Tamil Bibles use other words and not ‘Allah' that are theologically appropriate and significant.
The context of the Malay-speaking world using the word ‘Allah' to refer to God rests on its etymology or the historical development of it.
The first portion of Christian Scriptures translated into Malay was done in Indonesia for the Gospel of Matthew in 1612, four hundred years ago!
This was one year after the authorised version of the Bible was translated into English known as the King James Version (KJV). The Malay translation was also the first non-European language translation of the Bible.
Surely we can treasure this rare heritage as Malaysians.
Some have suggested that this is an East Malaysian problem and therefore the word ‘Allah' can be used here while over in the peninsula, the word should be ‘Tuhan'.
This proposition is misplaced as it suggests we have two Malaysias instead of 1Malaysia. This is dangerous for national unity.
We must also remember there are tens of thousands of East Malaysian Christians working in the peninsula as well as Orang Asli.
Do we want to deny them their constitutional right to refer to God as Allah as they do back home?
East Malaysian Christians have been using ‘Allah' to refer to God for generations. This has never caused confusion among Muslims before or after the formation of Malaysia in 1963. Why should this cause confusion now after half a century?
Our Rukunegara uses ‘Tuhan' and not ‘Allah' to refer to God just like the Indonesian Pancasila. In terms of common usage, this is a reasonable expression.
Court rules, politicians act otherwise
However, in the Biblical context, the word ‘Tuhan' refers to Lord and not God or Allah. It is, therefore, not acceptable to ask Christians to switch the two words and take them to mean what they do not mean in their liturgy and worship.
One cannot force someone of another religion to change words in their Holy Scriptures simply to satisfy believers of another religion. This is wholly untenable.
It was three years ago on 31 Dec 2009, that the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled in favour of the Titular Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, who is the publisher of Herald, that even though Islam is the religion of the Federation, this does not empower the government to prohibit the use of the word ‘Allah' in the Malay edition of the Herald.
It also found that the word Allah was not exclusive to Muslims.
It must be noted that the said High Court decision was a decision made in the light of our religious rights enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
The Government has appealed against this decision and the Court of appeal is yet to rule on the matter.
But for now, the High Court has spoken clearly on the issue and in the circumstances, we should respect our legal system and allow the law to take its course.
・BARU BIAN is Sarawak PKR chairperson and Ba'kelalan assemblyperson.
(2) Politicians can never resolve religious disputes, 30 December 2012
by Francis Paul Siah
It’s most unfortunate that the ‘Allah’ controversy has reared its ugly head again. Come to think of it, it’s uglier this time because it erupted again from something so beautiful - a Christmas Day message.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng did the right thing by sending out the Christmas message of peace and joy to all men of goodwill. But he should have stopped there with the festive greetings.
That should suffice for a joyous, solemn occasion as is the birth of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, the Penang chief minister did not. He took another unnecessary step and stumbled.
In his message, Lim also took a swipe at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for the government appealing the Herald ruling. The court had ruled in favour of the Catholic newspaper, allowing it to continue using ‘Allah’.
Now, this was a 2009 case and it’s normal for people to have a short memory. Most of us would have forgotten about it and if we hadn’t, we would wisely avoid bringing it up particularly in the public domain.
The ‘Allah’ controversy is not something that will cause racial riots or civil unrest in the country. Whether we can call our god ‘Allah’ or not is not a matter of life or death. Why don’t we just bury it and move on? When the appeal comes up, let the court decide. We do have a court of law, don’t we?
Politicians greater than god?
Herein lies the trouble with politicians. They like to play god. Some even think they are greater than god.
Ho ho ho, Santa Claus must have a great time laughing at all our godly species who speak as if god has appointed them as his anointed one to guide and lead his peoples on earth.
Seriously, how often have we heard of politicians declaring that they would be prepared to die for their faith and love of god, but behind that veil of purity, they are the most corrupt people enriching themselves with what’s not theirs in the first place? They do not care a damn if their excessive greed causes untold misery and suffering to their fellow Malaysians.
This is the crux of the whole problem - politicians. They are people with an agenda and they have to play up issues for self-interest or glorification.
At times, we can’t really blame them. That’s their craft. It’s their bread and butter. But I would have thought that they could wise up when it comes to religious matters.
It’s the general consensus that Lim has done reasonably well as a chief minister. There have been changes for the better in the island state and there is all round approval from Penangites for their chief executive.
Lim has to step back from being a mere politician and move away from his ‘street fighter’ image. He holds the most powerful post in a political party which is riding high and is expected to perform very well in the upcoming elections.
He should now stay above petty political quarrels and he must definitely be extra cautious when commenting on religious issues. I think it’s best for him to stay out of religious disputes altogether. Assign another party leader to deal with it.
There is no end to a debate on religion and I think a politician of Lim’s stature should avoid being caught in a situation where he could likely be seen as a lousy loser at the end of it all.
Come the festive occasions and religious events, just send out the plain and simple greetings. Do not attempt to use these occasions to hit out at political opponents on differing religious fervours. It does nothing but dampen the happy occasion.
Politicians have no solutions
I’m quite perplexed at the response from Pakatan Rakyat on this latest eruption of the ‘Allah’ controversy. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said that he would call a meeting of top Pakatan leaders.
I have to ask what good would another meeting do when all these years, they have such strong, differing views and they had already disagreed on ways to resolve the ‘Allah’ stalemate.
Honestly, I don’t expect politicians to resolve religious disputes - not Anwar or Najib or PAS chief Hadi Awang or DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang or chairperson Karpal Singh or Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. No, not Barisan Nasional and not Pakatan Rakyat.
Who can really help to defuse religious tension, if not resolve religious disputes altogether? It’s you and I - ordinary folks with no self interest or ambition to protect. We make the better catalysts for change for the better, in any situation.
Early this week, I shared my thoughts with readers of a Sarawak daily about thinking out of the box in resolving religious disputes. I would like to share them with Malaysiakini readers as well for the purpose of reaching a wider audience.
I will start by conceding that I don’t think I’m a conformist by nature or by instinct. But there are times when one has to wake up to the realisation that one cannot play the rebel role all the time.
In life, there is always the necessity to make adjustments at the right time on the appropriate issues.
If we feel that taking a step backwards will help resolve a festering problem, then why not? It’s okay to chuck out our ego at times. What is a bruised ego if we can create peace and joy among men of goodwill? Isn’t this the message of Christmas?
Islamic nation, Christian state
Let’s look at one nagging issue - the contention by some that Malaysia is an Islamic state or PAS’ long ambition to turn the nation into one.
We have been debating, arguing and quarrelling over this for as long as I can remember.
At times, I like to look at the issue this way. Since the majority of Malaysians are Muslims and they practise the Islamic faith, it is not wrong to describe Malaysia as an Islamic nation.
Similarly, it is also not wrong to describe Sarawak as a Christian state because the majority of Sarawakians are Christians.
Islamic nation, Christian state - that sounds fine to me. Malaysians are people of great faith, aren’t they? They are men and women of god here. So let’s accept all that is good by viewing it from a positive angle.
If people ask me whether Malaysia is an Islamic country and Sarawak a Christian state, I will answer ‘yes’ to both.
I’m not wrong. All of you will have to agree with me on that, even if it’s only taking the demographic point of view.
That being the case, why are we still quarrelling over the issue? The demographics are proof enough.
Of course, there are other considerations. For one, non-Muslims are worried of the imposition of Islamic religious laws on them under an Islamic nation.
This is where the complications set in. This is why we have the endless debates and disputes. Not that they are totally invalid.
What's in a name?
What I wish to say here is that there is another way of looking at all these differences in religious views. We have to learn to give way and look at the whole issue from another perspective.
That is why I deliberately shut out the intrigues of religion from my mind. We know there will be no end to a religious debate.
If you ask me how I would resolve the ‘Allah’ issue, I would say that “my lord and god is not worried how I call him. He is probably more concerned about my faith in him than any term of address”.
If some people feel that I should not call my god ‘Allah’, that’s all right with me. I can still call him lord, god, father, yahweh, tuhan, saviour, messiah etc.
So what’s the big issue here? Oh, it’s about the written ‘Allah’ in the Bible! What, use ‘Tuhan’ lah - end of problem.
No, no, no - many of you will disagree with my stand. Call me stupid, reckless and idiotic if you wish.
That is my way of being a good Christian even if you think I’m an idiotic or a stupid follower of Christianity.
If it takes one to become stupid and an idiot to stop all those quarrels and rising tension over religious differences, then it’s all worth it.
Then again, in our private moment at home or in church, who cares if we whisper ‘Allah’ in our prayers? There you go!
Happy New Year, everyone. May Allah bless all of us.
・FRANCIS PAUL SIAH is a Catholic from Sarawak. He can be reached at sirsiah@gmail.com.
(3) What now for 'Allah' row, ban Sikhism as well?, 30 December 2012
'It is pathetic. Hindi songs are full of the word ‘Allah'. So banning Hindi movies would be the right move.'
Sikh group: Fatwa on Allah ban 'illegal and void'
Mohican: Extremely useful and very well put, guruji (spiritual teacher). Even though I am no Sikh, I respect Sikhism and the holy Guru Gran Sahib as it is a sacred scripture of a great religion.
As a Christian, I was taught both at home and at the mission school which I attended that all religions must be respected. For anybody who thinks that his or her religion is more supreme than others smacks of arrogance and is therefore irreligious in his/her outlook.
The supreme god made all one and equal, and we are all his children however great or small we may be.
Lionking: Narrow-minded so-called Muslims in Malaysia such as Penang mufti Hassan Ahmad are making fools of themselves. Is this what they learn? It is pathetic and it shows how shallow their thinking is.
Hindi songs are full of the word ‘Allah'. So banning Hindi movies would be the right move.
Grow up and be more rational. The word ‘Allah' appears in the holy book of the Sikhs, so now what, ban the religion too?
Abasir: The congenitally ignorant in Malaysia should be alerted that there is a hymn sung by Hindus all over India and in all parts of the world (including Malaysia) containing the word 'Allah'.
It is a hymn that is also featured occasionally in Hindustani movies (which has a strong following among certain ethnic groups in Malaysia) and in Richard Attenborough's multi-Oscar awarded film 'Gandhi'.
It has not offended the more than 160 million Muslims in India. But then we are here in PM Najib Razak's 1Malaysia where everything is contaminated by the Umno virus.
Quigonbond: Two questions - first, can the chief minister interfere with a matter that is Islamic in nature? Hassan should be careful to put the blame on Lim Guan Eng before getting his facts and laws right.
Second question - even assuming the Chief Minister's Office has the right to enforce as it deems fit, has the Penang government the right to enforce it against the Sikhs? I bet the answer is a resounding ‘no'.
Which reminds Malaysians again that five years of Pakatan Rakyat state administration is hardly enough to turn the tide of cynicism, extremism, corruption and abuse of power in Malaysia. I look forward to at least 10 to 15 years of Pakatan rule in federal power.
Onyourtoes: It is not just unconstitutional but a contempt of court since the appeal is still pending - so on what legal basis was the fatwa in Penang issued?
Wanderer: A bloke like Hassan, a so-called Muslim scholar, brings shame and confusion to Islam. The word Allah is used by so many religious faiths in other countries, yet the Muslims in those countries have never objected.
What makes Umno Muslims, marbles wipers here, more Muslim than the rest?
Senior: Are the Muslims here weaklings compared to Indonesia and the Arab countries that they need a fatwa on the word ‘Allah' so that their faith is not misled? I think not, but someone wants them to be more Muslim than Arabs and Indonesians.
AJ-N: I am Muslim, and this issue is really embarrassing. Malays, as usual, are behaving like the Jews, thinking they are special and discriminating all other races/religions in Malaysia. Indeed, this is a non-issue in Arab countries.
Hang Babeuf: Elsewhere in the world it is okay for non-Muslims to use ‘Allah', but here in Malaysia it cannot be used except by Muslims, and only for officially (government-) approved purposes?
It sounds crazy. It is crazy. Rules like that would be okay for a god who needs a passport, visa and landing card to travel across state boundaries.
But for a god who is considered a universal king and lord of the universe? That sounds a lot, but for some that's not enough.
If he is only that, they say, and the Malaysian government is something greater, then it is entitled to impose that condition on his mundane movements here and there.
They can try to impose that restriction. But meanwhile god travels where he pleases, without a passport, and under whatever name through which his faithful know, revere and honour him. Or her...
Imran Firdaus Zain: When did the Sikh religion come into being for it to use the word ‘Allah'?
Ubah lan: Imran Firdaus Zain, Sikhism was born before the Malays became Muslims. I don't think you have any doubts as to whether Christianity or Islam came first, or do you?
Oh, I forgot, in Malaysia, history can be rewritten, just like how the Hindu kingdoms of Malaysia are almost non-existent in our history books today.
Perplexed: Sikhism was born as a middle path when the Muslims and Hindus were busy killing each other 500 years ago in India.
Hence Sikhism is also commonly known as an amalgamation of the best of these two religions. That's why a Sikh temple has a dome structure. Want to ban that too?
Anonymous #06659895: If the word 'Allah' had been used by other religions prior before Islam, my question is who copy the word 'Allah' and from whom?
Abasir: Malaysian Gurdwaras Council president Jagir Singh said, "...the matter had only been politicised and made an issue in Malaysia since the late 1980s."
This is another one from former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad's long list of mischief to undermine the constitution.
James Dean: This Allah issue is a gift from Mahathir to all future Malaysian generations. BN will never be able to resolve this issue, and BN will not want it to be resolved.
Chandran Sukumaran: I doubt if it is written anywhere in the holy book that non-Muslims may not utter the word ‘Allah'. How can Malaysia progress if such a non-issue is being politicised? May Allah save Malaysia!
Ez24get: Hailam chicken rice is quite popular among the Malays - a dish whose recipe came from the non-Malays a long time ago.
Then comes one day, a ruling is passed that the name "hailam chicken rice" cannot be used by non-Malays as it is a dish enjoyed by the majority of Malays and they could confuse the popular hailam chicken rice prepared by the Malays with the other type of chicken rice eaten by the non-Malays.
Now taking a step further, non-Malays are subsequently banned from eating hailam chicken rice. Hailam chicken rice is just hailam chicken rice eaten without fuss in other countries and in the past in Malaysia.
Malays, all these while, never had problem in distinguishing halal hailam chicken rice from the non-halal hailam chicken rice. It's only the politicians who are creating the imaginary confusion for fear of losing power.
Geronimo: Just watch how Umno will react to this new situation. Earlier on, they came up with a cockamamie idea that it was okay for Sabah and Sarawak to use the word 'Allah' but not Christians in Semenanjung.
Now with the Sikhs joining in the fray, they will come out with a decision that the Sikhs can use the word, but not the Christians. And they are asking us why we are not voting for them.
・The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments.
(4) Allah row - what's the name of the game?, 31 December 2012
by Ong Kian Ming
Christmas came early for me this year, a month and a half early. I received not one but two presents in November, courtesy of the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM).
At a dinner held on Nov 5 celebrating the 400th year of the translation of the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia, I received a reprint of AC Ruyl’s BM translation of the gospel of Matthew as well a complete BM Bible translated by the BSM. AC Ruyl, a Dutch trader, had translated the gospel of Matthew into BM in 1612 and it was printed in 1629 in Holland.
The complete BM Bible was first translated by BSM in 1996 with a revised edition in 2001. Both books are important in understanding the ‘Allah’ debate that was first sparked by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng’s Christmas Day message to ask the federal government to allow Christians in Malaysia to use the word ‘Allah’ in their worship of their God and Creator.
As a Christian, I’ve always wanted to have a copy of the Holy Bible in BM, to be able to read the Holy Scriptures in the national language. Unfortunately, tracking down a copy of such a bible in Petaling Jaya, a place with one of the highest concentration of Christians in peninsular Malaysia and also of Christian book shops, was challenging, to say the least.
I finally managed to track down an Indonesian Bible or the Alkitab which was stashed in the storeroom of a Christian bookstore, after I surreptitiously whispered to the cashier that I was looking for such a Bible. I felt as if I was buying contraband cigarettes rather than the Holy Scriptures of my faith. This was in the early 2000s.
Earlier this year, I went back to the same bookshop to ask for a copy of the Bible in BM because I knew that the BSM had produced a complete BM translation. While the Indonesian Alkitab was adequate, I knew that the Bible in BM would be a much more natural read given that we use slightly different words and sentence structures in BM as compared to Bahasa Indonesia (BI).
Furthermore, it seemed strange to me that I should have to resort to reading the Holy Scriptures in another language when a translation in my own national language was available, or so I thought. Unfortunately, the cashier said that they do not sell Bibles in BM.
So, you can imagine how pleased I was to receive a copy of the bible in BM, even one that had the stamp of the Home Affairs Ministry, complete with a serial number.
There are at least three points to consider on the issue of whether Christians should be able to use the word Allah in our Holy Scriptures which are published in BM. And I pray that my fellow Malaysians who are Muslims and who would protest the usage of the word Allah by Christians to consider each these points.
Firstly, Section 1 of Article 11 of the federal constitution states that ‘Every person has the right to profess and practise his religion’. Surely this right as enshrined in the constitution should include the right to determine the words which are used in one’s Holy Scriptures?
Tuhan instead of Allah?
Some have helpfully suggested that Christians use the word Tuhan instead of Allah in the BM Bible. Putting aside for the moment the practicality of such a suggestion (which I will explain later on), the crux of the matter here is the right of a religious group or body to independently decide on how their own Holy Scriptures is to be translated and the words which are to be used in this translation(s).
To say that Christians should change the word Allah to Tuhan is to disrespect the rights of a religious group - Christians, in this case - to have autonomy and control over their own religious texts.
It could easily lead to other slippery slope type arguments. For example, if the usage of the word Allah by Christians might offend or confuse Muslims and this word has to be changed, would other things in the Bible which may be offensive or confusing to Muslims - such as the many references to Jesus as God and Savior - also be required to be changed?
Secondly, the proposal to replace the word Allah with Tuhan ignores the fact that Tuhan (or rather TUHAN) is already being used in the BM bible. Without going into literary semantics, I would merely state here that YWHW (or Yahweh) in the Old Testament in translated into TUHAN whereas the generic name of God - El / Elohim - is translated into Allah.
In the various English translations, YWHW is translated as LORD (in capital letters) whereas El / Elohim is translated as God. In response to this, someone may again make the friendly suggestion that YWHW be translated into TUHAN while El / Elohim be translated into Tuhan (no caps) rather than Allah.
Other than contradicting point one above, this suggestion ignores the over 300 times where YWHW is paired with El / Elohim (or LORD with God). If Allah is to be replaced with Tuhan, we would find Tuhan appearing twice in the same verse.
For example, Exodus 29:46 would read: “Mereka akan tahu bahawa Akulah TUHAN, Tuhan (rather than Allah) mereka yang telah membawa mereka kelaur dari Mesir, supaya Aku dapat tingal bersama-sama mereka. Akulah TUHAN Tuhan mereka” (“They will know that I am the LORD, their Lord (rather than God), who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their Lord (rather than God))
This relatively well known passage from Revelation 1:8 would read: “Akulah yang pertama dan yang terakhir”, firman Tuhan, Tuhan (rather than Allah) Yang Maha Kuasa, yang ada, yang sudah ada dan yang akan datang” (“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord Lord (rather than God), “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty”)
One BN minister who is also a Christian went so far as to say that he is fine with using Yahweh in place of Allah. Perhaps this minister did not realide that Yahweh had already been translated into TUHAN in the BM bible and that referencing TUHAN Yahweh would not make much sense from a translation as well as a theological standpoint.
I would recommend that those who suggest that Tuhan be used in place of Allah to read the BM Bible (if they can get a hold of a copy) to see if this ‘solution’ is actually workable in practice.
No pratical impact on Muslims
The third and final point is that the usage of the word Allah by Christians (as well as the Sikh community) in Malaysia has absolutely no practical impact on 99.99 percent of the Muslim population in the country.
Christians have been using Allah in Sabah and Sarawak for many years without ‘confusing’ or ‘misleading’ the Muslims in both states. Sabah and Sarawakians who worship in BM in churches in Peninsular Malaysia, including using Allah in worship and in the Alkitab, have similarly not offended the sensibilities of the Muslims in the peninsula.
The notion that somehow the mere usage of the word Allah in the Alkitab can somehow confuse Muslims is as absurd as the supposed usage of solar-powered Bibles to ‘convert’ Muslims to Christianity (not to mention the fact that it is an insult to the intelligence and faith of the Muslim population in Malaysia).
And it is very unlikely that we would find throngs of Muslims flocking to churches on any given Sunday in Malaysia and be offended by the usage of the word Allah during these services (especially given the limited number of church services in BM in peninsular Malaysia).
In view of these three points raised, I hope that we can have a mature and sensible discussion over this matter rather than to resort to baseless accusations and impractical ‘suggestions’ that ignores due process. This would be one of my wishes for the New Year in 2013.
・ONG KIAN MING is writing this as a Malaysian Christian who is trying to read the Bible on a regular basis in English, Chinese and BM. The views and opinions expressed here do not represent the views of the political party to which he belongs. He can be reached at im.ok.man@gmail.com.
(5) 'Allah' is exclusive to Muslims and Islam, says Jakim, 31 December 2012
by Bernama
The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) today repeated its stand that the word 'Allah' is a holy word that belongs only to Muslims and Islam and cannot apply to non-Muslims and other religions.
Its director-general, Othman Mustapha, said the matter had been finalised at the 82nd meeting of the Fatwa Committee of the National Council for Islamic Affairs on May 5 to 7, 2008.
"Therefore, it is compulsory for all Muslims to protect it to the best of their ability. Any attempts to insult or abuse the word must be prevented according to the provisions stipulated under the federal constitution," he said in a statement today.
He said statements made by certain quarters to create racial and religious disharmony just for the sake of gaining political mileage were very disappointing.
Hence, he said Jakim would like to urge all quarters to return to the rule of law to ensure that racial and religious harmony was well preserved and protected under the federal constitution.
- Bernama
(6) The cause and effect principle in the 'Allah' debate, 7 January 2013
by AB Sulaiman
COMMENT In the last few days or weeks, we have seen a torrential debate around the word ‘Allah’ in the public domain. It’s still going on.
The issue is not new for it has been debated for nearly a decade, though of late, it has gained fresh momentum and intensity. Briefly stated, the Malay-Muslim community leaders have somehow developed the perception that ‘Allah’ is a holy word in Islam and is thereby to be used exclusively only by Muslims.
Much of the semantics, the for-and-against arguments have been spelt out fairly deeply by both sides of the divide elsewhere, so it is not my intention to join the fray. But I do wish to articulate and share my thoughts and philosophy in understanding this prickly issue.
Cause A and effect B
I use the tool of logic known as cause-and-effect, or causal effect which states simply that ‘B’ happens because of ‘A’. This tool of human reasoning rests on the fact that every action causes or leads to a reaction, or a reaction is caused by an action. In the physical world, nothing happens in isolation, but as a result of some surrounding actions or activities.
Its principle is that the effect B is the end result of a case so its purpose is to determine what can A be to cause B. For example, an accident B happens because drunken driver A jumped a road divider and rammed into an on-coming car; or my boss fires me, B, because I did not do a good job, A.
From this illustration and analysis, I project the very important observation that in human reasoning when the cause and effect formula is used, you have to have facts and evidence or some convincing arguments to substantiate the A cause.
In the example of the accident, I have to seek proof or evidence that the driver was drunk to justify the causal effect link. On no account do I deviate and say for example, that the car in the accident is a Proton, and that Protons are good cars, well-liked by millions of people. All of these have no bearing to the accident, not directly anyway.
On the same token, when I got fired I don’t say that my boss is the CEO of a huge corporation doing businesses all over the world and has just got back from a holiday in Tokyo or elsewhere. These details are irrelevant for they do not connect to effect B at all.
This is an admirable advantage of the A-causes-B reasoning formula or principle. It leads us humans to reason things out with facts and evidence, guide us to discuss things within context and relevance, and in the process, make it easier for us to determine the right and wrong, true or false of the matter at hand.
The reverse is also noteworthy. When we break the A-causes-B principle, we tend to become muddled, illogical, off-tangent and irrelevant. And to substantiate this last statement, I refer to my article, A New Year Wish for the Ketuanan Melayu Polity.
Suppression and national decay
In this article, I contended that the Ketuanan Melayu polity has led the country to the despondent and decaying state many of us citizens agree it is today. Translated into the causal effect format, these are the effect B factors.
I opined further that this national decay has been the result of the leadership for long-suppressing the minds of the people. These in turn, are the cause A factors.
Now I refer to a response to my article above from a person named ‘rahman’, a pseudonym surely, who has posted some comments in the reader’s column. I do not know who rahman is, though this does not matter. What does, is that as if on cue he has provided me in written form an example of muddled and irrelevant reasoning as a result of breaking the cause-and-effect formula. Permit me to explain.
He wrote (with minimal editing on my part): “(There is) nothing wrong for the majority Malays who secure independence for this country to provide legal protection to their rights.”
This is followed by: “These Malay leaders do not take away or oppress the non-Malays although their fore-fathers (sic) led the communist insurgencies to snatch the land away from the Malays and their sultans.”
And, “All over the world locals and indigenous protect their rights from usurpation. Do you know how Canada protect (sic) the rights of its indigenous (people)? Does China allow an Indian to be President of China? Does India allow a Chinese to be Prime Minister of India?”
I noticed immediately that rahman’s reaction to my analysis is out of context. To begin with, he did not address my original contention (that suppression has caused decay). Not once did he refer to the issue B (i.e. the nation’s decay) at all! He was totally off point, irrelevant!
He could have commented, “No, suppression is not the cause of decay in this country. It has been caused by colonialism, Malay lethargy, eroded faith in Islam,” for example, and he would still be relevant and within context. But no, he instead digressed to past history, citing further: “Malay leaders had not oppressed the non-Malays although their forefathers led the communist insurgencies to snatch the land away from the Malays and their sultans.”
He also went overboard with virtually wild claims centring on the notion that if other countries suppress their citizens, why not the Ketuanan Melayu government.
Readers would agree that rahman’s comments are similar in drift to my example of the accident with the ramble that Proton is a very popular car, and my firing with my boss having just returned from his holidays. Respectively, they might have some viability and relevance elsewhere, but certainly not in this case where they are out of context.
In a nutshell, he resorts to the rather familiar dictum or syndrome that “right or wrong, I am right and you are wrong”, a common enough, but erratic human reasoning formula when searching for substantiation.
From the analysis above, I make several observations pertaining to human thinking.
Firstly, in human rationality any discussion or debate meandering away from the cause-and-effect principle would tend to get muddled and destined to fall into the bin of irrelevance.
Secondly, when you make an incoherent or illogical statement, you might have to resort to other incoherent statements to justify the first. This is similar to lying - if you lied the first time, you might have to make many following lies to cover the first one.
And thirdly, when you are caught in your web of lies you go for the “I am right, you are wrong” syndrome. This faulty logic might land you in a muddled state, even error.
And armed with this lesson or wisdom, I can now revert to the ‘Allah’ debate or controversy.
‘Allah’ controversy
This ‘Allah’ debate or controversy can be rehashed or formatted into the causal effect formula thus: The A (or cause) factor is that ‘Allah’ is the word for ‘God’. The B (or effect) factor is the whole world accepting it as true. Viz.: “Allah is the word for God, and the whole world accepts this as true.”
But here, this word is taken by the Malay-Muslims as the name of God in Islam. So if the non-Muslims still wished to express the idea of ‘god’, they are to use other terms, like for example, Lord, God, or Tuhan. And on a by-the-way basis, the inimitable Harussani Zakaria has lent support to this claim by saying that if non-Muslims still insist in using ‘Allah’, then they have to convert to Islam first of all.
So what is the truth, who is right in this case?
To find out, I now rehash the issue in the causal effect format and in question form: “The Malay-Muslim says ‘Allah’ is the word for ‘God’ and is exclusive to Muslims. No other community or society anywhere in the world accepts this posture. Is this Malay-Muslim stand the truth, and right?”
My answer is quite clear, considering the fact that firstly, the rest of the world, Muslim or otherwise, accept the word ‘Allah’ as synonymous to ‘God’; and secondly, it is only the Malay-Muslim polity that has taken upon itself to unilaterally declare that ‘Allah’ is a holy word to be only used by Muslims. So this claim about the exclusivity of ‘Allah’ is unsupported and unsubstantiated by other people from both within and without the country.
Based on this observation, I say it could not be true, and possibly wrong from the angle of human rationality. The Malay-Muslim however, is resting on his perception that he is right. In other words, the “right or wrong, I am right and you are wrong” syndrome as demonstrated by rahman is showing its head in this case.
Might is right Having said all that, I am somewhat puzzled as to why the Malay-Muslim religious polity is so intransigent in this case; on three counts. First, Muslims comprise about two billion in total number of adherents worldwide with the Sunni sect comprising about 75 percent of the total. Either way, we are talking about some huge numbers here.
The Malay-Muslim community is Sunni and comes to about, say 17 million in total. It is comprised of one tiny segment of Islamic adherents worldwide. Yet, it has taken upon itself to claim the word ‘Allah’ to mean ‘God’ and is to be used only by Muslims.
What special information, knowledge, or secret about Islam do ulamas (religious scholars) like the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), who organisationally and individually may number only say, a few thousands, have that the rest of the Sunni world community do not, to make them adopt this stance?
Did they receive any special revelations recently from goodness where recently? If so, it’s their duty to share them to all Muslims worldwide.
Secondly, this community is known to be rather orthodox and conformist in disposition. It doesn’t allow for its adherents to deviate an inch from the teachings of Islam. Look at the way they have treated the Shiites, Ahmaddiah (or Qadyanis) even the ‘deviant’ Sunni sects of whatever name (e.g. Al-Arkam); all of them have been termed as deviants, and thus persecuted.
But here we have one small group of orthodox Sunnis usually conformist and orthodox, suddenly jumping out of the norm and standing all alone. Are they not deviants from the point of view of the Islamic communities around the world? If so, this could be a huge paradox.
Three, in view of the above, there could be a high probability that this group may well be described as deviants by the rest of the world. The Malay-Muslim is taking his own medicine!
So what is the root cause of their intransigence?
On the surface of it, this could be due to another principle or syndrome of thinking known as “might is right”, where unsubstantiated arguments and postulations are made to be accepted by society through force or decree by a higher authority.
In real terms this, can be illustrated by the Bernama statement on Dec 31 saying that “Jakim today repeated its stand that the word ‘Allah’ as a holy word that belongs only to Muslims and Islam and cannot apply to non-Muslims and other religions”.
From where does Jakim get this ‘might’ and authority? Only heaven knows. I am thinking that if only Jakim is willing to share this bit of information, then perhaps it can go a long way for this debate and controversy to end.
In the meantime, I wish to end this analysis by inviting readers to perform a mental exercise involving the cause-and effect-formula, thus:
“The ‘might is right’ supported by ‘I am right, you are wrong’ syndromes, A is causing the Malay-Muslim religious authorities to insist that the word ‘Allah’ is to be used by Muslims only, B.” You as the reader, please state your views on whether you agree or disagree, whether it is right or wrong, true or false, good or bad.
There is only one rule: please do not get caught in the rahman irrelevance trap.
・AB SULAIMAN is an observer of human traits and foibles, especially within the context of religion and culture. As a liberal, he marvels at the way orthodoxy fights to maintain its credibility in a devilishly fast-changing world. He hopes to provide some understanding to the issues at hand and wherever possible, suggest some solutions. He holds a Bachelor in Social Sciences (Leicester, UK) and a Diploma in Public Administration, Universiti Malaya.
(7) SMS on Allah, proselytisation a lie, declares Mat Sabu, 8 January 2013
by Abdul Rahim Sabri
PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu has denied any truth to the SMS being circulated, which claims he supported the term ‘Allah’ being used in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible and condoned the proselytisation of Malays to Christianity.
“I never said that. I never said anything (like that). The SMS is a lie. My stand follows that of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and PAS spiritual adviser Nik Aziz Nik Mat in 2010.
“Nothing has changed. There is no new opinion and so all of that (in the SMS) is not right,” he said when contacted by Malaysiakini yesterday.
Seeing as how he has no expertise in the field of religion, Mohamad (right), better known as Mat Sabu, said he was only following the views of those more knowledgeable on the matter, especially that of the two top PAS leaders.
Mohamad was asked to comment on the SMS received by Malaysiakini reporters which linked a report on the news portal with the alleged statement by the former over the ‘Allah’ issue.
The SMS reads, “Malaysiakini - Mat Sabu agrees that the term 'Allah' be used in the Bible and is for the proselytisation of Christianity to the Malays”.
The text message was sent together with the link to an article on Malaysiakini pertaining to the views of a bishop on Mohamad’s stand.
He added that he feels the SMS aims to play on the emotions of the Malays, in order to secure their votes in the coming general election.
In January 2010, PAS resolved that Christians cannot be forbidden from using the word ‘Allah’, but reminded all parties not to misuse the term to confuse, or as a cheap political stunt to garner support from the rakyat.
(8) Puad: Were 100,000 BM Bibles with 'Allah' printed?, 8 January 2013
Umno supreme council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi has urged DAP to answer an allegation that the party will print 100,000 copies of the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia which will use the word ‘Allah', and distribute them for free in all four states ruled by Pakatan Rakyat.
According to a report in Utusan Malaysia today, the deputy education minister said he was shocked when he was told about it.
"I cannot reveal my information source, that's why I need to ask. I was told about it. Hence I demand DAP to answer whether it is true or not.
"I also demand PAS to state their stand on whether they agree with such an action," he was quoted as saying during a press conference in Putrajaya yesterday.
According to him, the free Bibles will be distributed in Kelantan, Kedah, Selangor and Penang by DAP.
However, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has denied the allegation, calling it "insane lies without any basis whatsoever".
Lim issued a demand to Mohd Puad to show proof or withdraw and apologise for his “lies”.
“His lies are insane because DAP has never been involved in religion, believing that religion is a matter of personal faith for the individual that should neither be exploited nor politicised,” said Lim in a statement.
“DAP has neither the resources nor the ability to afford to print and distribute 100,000 copies of a Bahasa Malaysia Bible,” he added.
Lim said it was unfortunate that these “insane lies” by an Umno leader were also printed in all of the party-controlled newspapers in New Straits Times, Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia.
He expressed disgust with what he described as “such dangerous tactics” by Umno to foment hate against the DAP amongst the majority Muslim population and amongst the various religions in Malaysia.
The DAP, he said, would be lodging police reports urging for action to be taken against Mohd Puad and the three newspaper for publishing the matter, which could “create public disorder”.
“We will aslo consider other legal measures against Puad and the three newspapers”.
(9) Hadi: Islam doesn't prohibit others from using 'Allah', 8 January 2013
by Hafiz Yatim
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said Islam does not prohibit people of other faiths to use the kalimah (the word) ‘Allah’ in their practice, although it does not reach the original meaning of the Quran.
Saying he regretted that the Umno-BN government is making this a polemic issue by using the mainstream media, when they (Umno and BN) do not understand and this had resulted in a strain in the relationship among people of various faiths.
PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said that they have reached a consensus on the issue and wanted Abdul Hadi to explain it further.
Abdul Hadi said the PAS stand is consistent in the issue as based on his media statement on Jan 4, 2010 which he had forwarded to the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim) where the word ‘Allah’ in the original meaning of Al-Quran (dia sahaja tuhan yang maha esa; He is the only one lord) cannot be translated exactly in any other languages.
“Hence, the word ‘Allah’ should not be abused by other faiths towards Muslims, resulting in further confusion on the issue (kalimah Allah tidak wajar disalah gunakan oleh pihak lain terhadap masyarakat Islam sehingga menimbulkan kekeliruan). Hence, Muslims of various practices would not translate ‘Allah’ in their own language when they are performing their prayers.
“Despite this, Islam does not prohibit people of other faiths to use ‘Allah’ in their practice, although it is not within the scope of the original Al-Quran language,” he said.
Abdul Hadi also cited verse 64 in the Al-Imran chapter, meaning “Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords besides Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him).”
Today however, the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department issued a statement where the Sultan has decreed that all non-Muslims in the state are banned from using the word ‘Allah’ as it is a holy word exclusive for Muslims.
No comment on Sultan's decree
When asked, Abdul Hadi said he does not want to comment on the Sultan's decree as the statement is clear.
“The statement is sufficient and I do not want to comment further,” he said.
When pointed out that Allah can be used in Sabah and Sarawak as well as Peninsular Malaysia, Abdul Hadi said: “We are not the government. The statement is clear and for that matter, you have to ask the government”.
When pressed on the Mais statement, Anwar said Mais is independent from the Selangor government.
“Their stand does not represent the stand of the Selangor Pakatan government. Hence, the banning and criticism is only directed at Pakatan and not to Umno.
“This includes on a leader having stakes in (Manila-based beer brewer) San Miguel, but has not been criticised by the religious counsel,” he said.
Asked whether this stand would be seen as going against the ruler, Anwar said the statement made by PAS is clear and it is up to people to interpret on this issue.
Anwar welcomed the stand by PAS as this is the united stand by Pakatan and hence, does not prohibit the use of Allah. He wanted it to be clear that all parties including churches and non-Muslims are to respect this issue and how the Muslims place Allah on another pedestal (muliakan nama Allah).
The ‘Allah’ protracted issue has been a contentious issue ever since the matter had been brought to court following the confiscation of books and VCD's conducted by the Home Ministry over the usage of ‘Allah’ in Christian books.
The word had been widely used among Christians in Sabah and Sarawak, and even among the Sikh community.
On Dec 31, 2009, the Kuala Lumpur High Court had ruled the ban on the use of the word ‘Allah’ to other faiths as illegal. The matter is still pending appeal at the Court of Appeal.
Last lap in GE13
Lim Kit Siang also reiterated that they will move on from this episode saying that the opposition coalition is moving into the last lap of the general election which had been delayed for so long.
“Never before in the history of the country that elections had been delayed so long. If the parliament is not dissolved earlier, it would be dissolved on April 28, five years after the meeting of the parliament. All honour requires that the parliament should be dissolved on March 8, which means there are 59 days left.
“I think this is something the prime minister must decide, especially as he does not have a mandate of his own. This is the last lap and I call on the parties concerned to conduct a free, clean election as this is important to show the world that Malaysian democracy has matured,” he said.
This, he said, is the time that Malaysians can prove to the world that there could be a change of government without any problems or disturbances.
(10) Selangor sultan shocked at Guan Eng's 'Allah' demand, 8 January 2013
Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah was shocked and has expressed regret over the earlier statement by DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng urging the government to allow all Malay Bibles to use the word ‘Allah’, said the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais).
In a statement issued today, Mais secretary Mohd Misri Idris (right) said the sultan has decreed that all non-Muslims in the state are banned from using the word ‘Allah’ as it is a holy word exclusive for Muslims.
According to him, the decree was issued after the sultan convened a special meeting with several members of Mais, the Selangor mufti and top officers of Mais and Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) on Sunday following Lim’s remark.
The decree is in line with the earlierfatwa (edict) gazetted on Feb 18, 2010.
“His Highness had issued the same decree related to the use of ‘Allah’ three years before when this issue was first raised.
“His Highness felt deep regret because his decree has been taken lightly by certain quarters until the same issue was raised again,” said Mohd Misri.
The sultan has instructed Mais and Jais to take stern action against any Muslim or non-Muslim who still questions or disparages the fatwa issued according to Selangor laws.
Section 9 of the Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation amongst Muslims) Enactment 1988 prohibits the use of ‘Allah’ by non-Muslim in any matter related to their religions.
“The sultan also instructed non-Muslim not to interfere in Islamic affairs to avoid hostility and misunderstanding among races in this country,” said Mohd Misri, adding that the ruler also urged all quarters not to abuse Islam to gain political mileage.
After Lim’s Christmas message, which urged the BN-led federal government to allow Christians to use ‘Allah’ in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible, drew flak from various quarters, DAP later clarified that the statement only referred to the Malay language Bible in Sabah and Sarawak.
However the clarification failed to quell the controversy.
2. The Malaysian Insider （http://www.themalaysianinsider.com）
(1) Non-Muslims must not use ‘Allah’, says Selangor Sultan, 8 January 2013
Shipments of the Alkitab were blocked or confiscated at ports before the government finally bowed to pressure and released them in 2011. – File pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 – The Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah is shocked at Lim Guan Eng’s remarks over the word “Allah” and has called for an emergency meeting with state Islamic religious officials to bar non-Muslims from using the Arabic word for god, the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) said today.
In December 2009, the High Court ruled that the word “Allah” was not restricted to Muslims and the Catholic Church had the right to published the word in the Malay section of its weekly newspaper, Herald.
“His majesty the Selangor Sultan has made a decision and decreed that the word ‘Allah’ is a sacred word specific to Muslims and is structly forbidden to use by any non-Muslim religion in Selangor as stated in a fatwa and gazetted on 18 February 2010,” MAIS secretary Datuk Mohd Misri Idris said in a statement.
Mohd Misri added that Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had issued a similar decree three years ago when the “Allah” issue first erupted and regretted that his statement was taken lightly.
He also said the Selangor Ruler had instructed MAIS and the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (JAIS) to take firm action against all groups, including non-Muslims, who continued to question the state fatwa.
He pointed out that the Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Amongst Muslims) Enactment restricting the use of the word was passed in the state assembly 25 years ago and enforced in July 1988.
He said the state law was also in keeping with Article 11(4) of the Federal Constitution governing the spread of non-Muslim doctrine.
“Section 9 of the Enactment strictly forbids the word ‘Allah’ to be used by non-Muslims in any matter related to their religions.
“Those who breach this provision can be charged and sentences meted out against them,” he said.
The Selangor Sultan also chided those who would use Islam for political purposes and warned them against destroying the existing peace enjoyed by Malaysia’s multireligious community, Mohd Misri secretary said.
Further information on the state laws and fatwa regarding the use of the word “Allah” can be read on its website, he said.
The “Allah” storm was reignited recently when Lim, the opposition DAP’s secretary-general, raised the controversial “Allah” issue in his Christmas message urging the federal government to lift its ban on the word published in the Malay bibles shipped in to Sabah and Sarawak, who form the bulk of Malaysia’s 9.2 per cent Christian population.
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.
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 in 2011.
(2) Penggunaan kalimah Allah oleh agama selain Islam , 8 Januari 2013
oleh Datuk Mohd Misri Idris
8 JAN — DYMM Sultan Selangor telah melahirkan rasa terkejut dan kesal dengan kenyataan YB Lim Guan Eng, Setiausaha Agung DAP yang dipetik dari media massa yang meminta agar Kerajaan Malaysia membenarkan kalimah Allah digunakan dalam semua Bible berbahasa Melayu.
Berikutan dengan kenyataan dan gesaan tersebut, DYMM Sultan Selangor telah memanggil satu mesyuarat khas dengan beberapa orang Ahli MAIS, Mufti Selangor serta pegawai tertinggi MAIS dan JAIS pada 6 Januari 2013. DYMM Sultan Selangor telah membuat ketetapan dan menitahkan dengan tegas bahawa kalimah Allah yang merupakan kalimah suci khusus bagi umat Islam tidak boleh sama sekali digunakan di Negeri Selangor oleh mana-mana agama bukan Islam yang lain sebagaimana yang telah difatwa dan diwartakan pada 18 Februari 2010, (Sel. P.U. 6). Malah Baginda pernah mengeluarkan titah yang sama berkaitan penggunaan kalimah Allah dua tahun yang lalu apabila isu ini pertama kali dibangkitkan. Namun DYMM Tuanku amat kesal kerana titah Baginda tersebut telah dipandang ringan oleh sesetengah pihak sehingga isu yang sama dibangkitkan semula.
Berikutan dengan itu DYMM Tuanku juga telah menitahkan MAIS dan JAIS untuk mengambil tindakan tegas terhadap mana-mana pihak samada orang bukan Islam atau di kalangan orang Islam sekalipun yang masih mempersoalkan atau memperlekehkan Fatwa yang telah dikeluarkan mengikut peruntukan undangundang yang sedia ada di Negeri Selangor.
Di Negeri Selangor telah terdapat undang-undang yang telah digubal oleh Dewan Undangan Negeri pada April 1988 dan dikuatkuasakan pada Julai 1988 berkaitan pengawalan penggunaan kalimah Allah ini iaitu Enakmen Ugama Bukan Islam (Kawalan Perkembangan Di Kalangan Orang Islam) 1988. Enakmen ini telah diwujudkan selaras dengan Perkara 11 (4), Perlembagaan Persekutuan.
Seksyen 91 Enakmen berkenaan telah dengan jelas melarang kalimah Allah dari digunakan oleh orang bukan Islam di dalam ape-ape perkara yang berkaitan dengan agama mereka. Tuduhan dan hukuman boleh dijatuhkan bagi mereka yang melanggar peruntukan ini.
Baginda juga menitahkan agar orang-orang bukan Islam supaya tidak mencampuri urusan agama Islam bagi mengelakkan permusuhan dan salah faham di kalangan kaum di negara lni.
Selanjutnya DYMM Tuanku menitahkan bahawa mana-mana pihak adalah ditegah dan dilarang samasekali dari menggunakan atau memperalatkan agama Islam sebagai modal politik mereka kerana ianya akan mengakibatkan kemusnahan kepada keamanan yang dikecapi oleh rakyat pelbagai agama di negara ini.
Sebarang penjelasan lanjut berkaitan dengan fatwa dan undang-undang berkaitan dengan kalimah Allah di Negeri Selangor, bolehlah melayari laman sesawang MAIS di www.mais.gov.my.
・Datuk Mohd Misri Idris adalah setiausaha MAIS.
・Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider.
(3) Despite royal ban, Pakatan says okay for non-Muslims to use ‘Allah’, 8 January 2013
by Clara Chooi, Assistant News Editor
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 — Despite the Selangor Sultan’s latest decree banning non-Muslims in the state from using “Allah”, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) confirmed today its stand on the controversy, insisting that Islam does not prohibit others from using the word.
Explaining the federal opposition’s position, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang told a joint press conference with PR leaders here that Christians and other non-Muslim communities should not abuse the word to spread confusion among Muslims but this did not mean they were not allowed to use the word.
“Islam does not stop those of other faiths from using kalimah ‘Allah’ in their practice, although [in the usage of the word by non-Muslims] it does not refer to the original meaning of the word as according to the al-Quran,” he said, reading from a statement.
When reminded of the Selangor Sultan’s decree this morning, however, Hadi(picture) would not comment further, merely telling reporters that he would not repeat his statement as it should sufficiently explain PAS’s and PR’s position on the issue.
He said further queries should be directed to Umno, as a party that is part of the federal government that could decide on the usage of the word.
The religious leader pursed his lips, however, when it was pointed out that PR runs the Selangor government and the pact’s position on the controversy could be seen as a direct snub to the state Sultan.
PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who was also at the press conference, however stepped in to say that the pact fully endorses PAS’s stand and reminded reporters that the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS), which the Sultan heads, does not represent the views of the state’s PR government.
“MAIS moves freely and has nothing to do with the state government,” he said.
“I think PAS’s statement is clear,” he added, when asked if this meant PR was going against the Selangor Sultan’s decree.
In a statement from MAIS today, the Selangor Sultan expressed shock over DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng’s recent remarks on the word “Allah” and called for an emergency meeting with state Islamic religious officials to bar non-Muslims from using the Arabic word for God.
“His majesty the Selangor Sultan has made a decision and decreed that the word ‘Allah’ is a sacred word specific to Muslims and is strictly forbidden to use by any non-Muslim religion in Selangor as stated in a fatwa and gazetted on 18 February 2010,” MAIS secretary Datuk Mohd Misri Idris said in a statement.
The religious debate was reignited recently when Lim raised the controversial “Allah” issue in his Christmas message urging the federal government to lift its ban on the word published in the Malay bibles shipped in to Sabah and Sarawak, who form the bulk of Malaysia’s 9.2 per cent Christian population.
“PAS is very disappointed at Umno, a party that represents the Malay Muslims and Barisan Nasional (BN), which rules this country, for turning this kalimah ‘Allah’ into an issue... without caring about the misunderstanding that it has created and the tension among our multireligious nation,” Hadi said today.
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.
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 in 2011.
(4) DAP wants apology from Umno man for ‘100,000 Allah bibles’claim, 8 January 2013
by Leannza Chia
Puad climed the DAP was 'attempting to score more votes by politicising sensitive issues'. – File pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 — The DAP is demanding an apology from an Umno deputy minister for saying that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) party was printing 100,000 Bahasa Malaysia copies of the Bible using the word “Allah”.
DAP party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said today that Umno supreme council member and deputy education minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi must provide proof of the claim, calling it a “lie” that was “insane and without any basis whatsoever”.
“Mohd Puad’s lies are insane because DAP has never been involved in religion, believing that religion is a matter of personal faith for the individual that should neither be exploited nor politicised,” said Lim.
“Further DAP has neither the resources nor the ability to afford to print and distribute 100,000 copies of a Bahasa Malaysia bible.”
Puad was quoted in the New Straits Times, Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia today as saying that the DAP was planning to “print at least 100,000 copies of the Holy Book and will be distributing it for free in several states, including Kedah and Kelantan”.
Puad also said that DAP was “attempting to score more votes by politicising sensitive issues”.
(To be continued below)
