Malaysiakini (http://www.malaysiakini.com)
(1) Perkasa urges rulers' intervention over 'Allah' issue, 10 January 2013
by Bernama
Perkasa, the Malay right-wing group, has urged the institution of the Malay rulers to act in accordance with the principles of the law on the issue of the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the Malay version of the Bible.
Its president, Ibrahim Ali, said it was only ideal that the institution of the Malay rulers take action in the matter to preserve the sanctity of Islam.
He spoke at a "Jom Tolak Pakatan" (Let's Reject Pakatan) ceramah (talk) in Taman Berkat, Meru, last night. Several other NGOs such as Jalur Tiga (Jati), Nambikai and Pertubuhan Jaringan Cina Malaysia also took part.
In his Christmas Day message last month, Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had proposed that the federal government allow the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the Malay version of the Bible.
The Sultan of Selangor, through Selangor Islamic Affairs Council (Mais) secretary Mohd Misri Idris, issued a statement on Tuesday saying that the word ‘Allah’ was a holy word for Muslims and could not be used by any other religion.
Hasan, in his speech at the ceramah, said the use of the word ‘Allah’ was raised again by Lim to garner the support of Christians in Sabah and Sarawak to boost the opposition pact's chances of capturing Putrajaya.
"What is saddening is that the top leaders of PAS are willing to accede to the wishes of the DAP in the use of the word 'Allah' by people of other religions," he said.
In Kuala Lumpur, Umno Veterans Club secretary Mustapha Yaakub urged the opposition political parties to stop abusing the word ‘Allah’ to garner electoral votes.
He said it was most saddening that PAS, which regarded itself as an Islamic party, had failed to advise its partner, DAP, from continuing to harp on the issue for political gain.
"Umno veterans back the Sultan of Selangor (Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah) who has warned that the word 'Allah' should not be used in the Malay version of the Bible and should not be arbitrarily abused.
"We hope the warning would serve as a guide for anyone who tries to insult the holy word. We are happy that the sultan had stated his stand as the head of the Islamic religion in Selangor," he said when contacted by Bernama.
Mustapha said the Umno Veterans Club urged the sultan to bring up the issue to the Conference of Rulers to ensure that the word ‘Allah’ was not abused.
- Bernama
(2) In the name of Allah, Umno eyes Malay votes, 11 January 2013
YOURSAY 'It is no disrespect to the Selangor sultan but this issue has been politicised and it is with deep regret that the sultan has been dragged into this fray.'
We'll continue to use 'Allah', declares churches council
Starr: It's nothing more encouraging than seeing the Christian leadership in the country taking its rightful place and standing firm in faith in defence of the constitutional right of religious freedom.
The constitution is the supreme law of the country which can't be surpassed and usurped by any other laws and decrees.
The king and his prime minister have the solemn duty to defend the very document by which they are sworn into office, let alone abusing and undermining it.
Treeman: The Kuala Lumpur High Court found the ban on non-Muslims using the word ‘Allah' as flawed and unconstitutional. Until such time this ruling is overturned, it remains law.
Lover Boy: The stand taken by the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) is consistent with the rights guaranteed under the constitution.
It is no disrespect to the Selangor sultan but this issue has been politicised and it is with deep regret that the sultan has been dragged into this fray. All the same, Daulat Tuanku!
Lai Tak Ming: I applaud my Christian leaders for having the courage to stand together with all Malaysians in exercising their freedom of worship. They are mere mortals, simple folks with no political agenda except the desire to serve and honour God in any and all languages.
To our Muslim friends, we mean you no harm or malice, just the desire to worship our God as you worship yours. Surely, this is not so difficult?
Telestai!: Christians should show restrain by not using the word ‘Allah' out of love and respect for its Muslim Malaysian brothers. I am a Christian and I don't see a major problem if Christian Malaysians were to do so.
Nothing is lost but a lot of goodwill will be gained. Less confrontation, more cooperation.
JMC: We are so near to Putrajaya but may not reach it as we allow evil forces disrupt our unity. The Pakatan Rakyat leadership, including Abdul Hadi Awang, has endorsed our right to use ‘Allah'.
Historically and constitutionally, we know we are right. Are going to allow our differences in what to call God to disrupt our goals?
The last thing we want is to fight and hate one another in the name of God.
Anonymous #37634848: The church and Christians are arrogant! They want to hear only what they want to hear. They don't care for the intense sensitivity of Muslims. Allah is one and only. There is no partner to Him, such as Father, Son and the Holy Ghost.
If you use the word ‘Allah' without the letter and spirit of Allah, you are insulting Him and therefore all Muslims. Is this the spirit of co-existence in Malaysia?
Chipmunk: Anonymous #37634848, the arrogance did not start with the Christians as we have been quiet and tolerant. Umno is feeling threatened as they are losing Malay votes. So the only way to win them back is to create a ruckus using religion.
Second, if you have read in many of the comments in Malaysiakini, the term 'Allah' was never an exclusive word for Muslims as it has been used in the Bible and the Sikh bible since the early days and even countries like Indonesia and the Arab world had no problem with others using the term ‘Allah'.
So again I ask you, why only now is Umno creating the religious tension?
MfM: PAS is right, ‘Allah' is not monopolised by Muslims, but they are also wrong as history in the region serves that ‘Allah' was used exclusively by Muslims before the Christian invaders came and colonised the archipelago.
Now we have the answer, I hope everyone is more enlightened on the matter and for once I agree with BN and Umno and the sultan that in Malaysia, ‘Allah' should only be used by Muslims.
However, for Sikhs and only for Sikhs, it is different since Sikhism itself is combination of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islamic principles which was coined by their Guru. Thus, it not surprising that in Sikhism there are references to Allah as the monotheistic god.
They have the right to use it, but not Christians and certainly not any of the polytheists.
James Dean: I would like to make this call to all opposition party leaders to stay out of this ‘Allah' issue. Why? Because BN had now even used the royalties to further confuse this issue.
Mohamad Abdul Malik: Bravo! Now BN and in particular Umno has gotten what it most needed - the Malay votes.
CCM general secretary Rev Hermen Shastri has done what Umno has not been able to do since 2003 - stem the tide of Malay votes to the opposition. Now it's plain sailing for BN. Goodbye to Pakatan dream's to Putrajaya.
Jiminy Qrikert: Mohammad Abdul Malik, that's what you think. But you fail to recognise that your narrow-minded chauvinistic kind who feed on a daily dosage of ‘ketuanan Melayu' is fast shrinking.
If Malays cannot accept what the entire Muslim world beyond Malaysia can accept, then it says more about the minds of such Malays and they belong to Umno anyway. So, no loss.
It is about time that we separate the racist, bigoted, narrow-minded extremist Malays from the progressive, inclusive, open-minded and liberal Malays so we can march together as Malaysians into the future without the shackles of ‘ketuanan Melayu'.
May Allah bless Malaysia with more such Malays who will join hands with non-Malays and who do not claim to have exclusive ownership over His name.
1234567: Shame on the so-called Christian federal cabinet ministers from Sabah and Sarawak BN parties, some of whom have been using the word ‘Allah' since young but dare not say a word now.
When you are in Sabah and Sarawak, you call Him ‘Allah' as in the BM Bible. Tell me then, when you are serving your ministerial positions in Semenanjung, how do you call your God? You call him ‘Allah', or have you changed it to ‘Tuhan'?
Don't get me wrong, this is not the question of ‘Tuhan' or ‘Allah', after all God is the same yesterday, today and forever. This is about integrity and bravery to speak up for the right cause, and for the people you are representing.
Anonymous#007: Bravo to the CCM for making this stand. I would also have lauded the Christian Malaysians if they had chosen to do otherwise, because this was and is not an issue created by Allah.
Indeed, this was and is a matter that had been created by man - the handful of Muslims who are so afraid that 'their' Allah is not as great as someone else's Allah, and that their fellow Muslims in Malaysia are all as weak-minded and intellectually-challenged as them.
They couldn't be more wrong - some quarters in PAS have proven there are Muslim Malaysians who can think straight and are able to differentiate reality from delusions.
I have no doubt there will again be unsubstantiated noises from the increasing number of NGOs which had been created and registered for dodgy purposes, but which are really extensions of Umno-BN and possibly full of Umno members, simply to create the impression there are a lot of quarters who are unhappy with this decision.
・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.
(3) 'Allah' cannot be translated as 'God', says Hadi, 11 January 2013
by Bernama
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang today said that there was no dispute among PAS leaders concerning the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the Bible as reported in the media.
He said the word 'Allah' could not be translated as ‘God’ as the definition of god was too generic.
“For the Muslims, we translate ‘Allah’ as ‘Allah’ in the Malay language, the Pakistanis who speaks Urdu will also translate ‘Allah’ as ‘Allah’.
“Would the English-speaking Christians who converted to Islam translate ‘Allah’ to God or Lord? No, it’s still ‘Allah’. If the word ‘Allah’ cannot be translated to other language, then how can the word ‘God’ be translated to ‘Allah’?
“The word ‘God’ cannot be translated to ‘Allah’ because ‘Allah’ has been used in Urdu, Parsian and even English. For Muslims, we will translate God as ‘Tuhan’, a generic term, because ‘Allah’ is a specific word.”
He said this when launching the republished book titled ‘Amanat Haji Hadi: Antara Fitnah dan Fakta’ (Hadi’s Message: Between Defamatory and Facts) at Rusila Mosque in Marang today.
When asked whether the opposition pact would defend the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the Bible should it succeed to form the government after the general election, Abdul Hadi said: “Let’s form the government first.”
Meanwhile, he said that he would continue to defend his message made in 1981 and would also continue to give explanation to Muslims by republishing the book, which was first published in 2002.
The content of the book is maintained except for spelling errors, he said, adding that the 74-page book was priced at RM10 each.
- Bernama
(4) PAS to address internal split over 'Allah' controversy, 11 January 2013
To address the conflicting views among PAS leaders on the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the Malay Bible, the party's highest decision making body, the Syura Council, should review the party's decision made in 2010 to allow non-Muslims to use the word.
The view was expressed by PAS deputy ulama chief Mahfodz Mohamed (left) in a report in the English daily, The Star, today.
The Johor PAS chief is among the 15 members of the Syura Council chaired by the party's spiritual leader, Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who supports the previous decision of allowing 'Allah' to be used in the Malay version of the Bible.
“PAS agreed in 2010 that Islam does not forbid non-Muslims from using the word ‘Allah’, provided that it is not misused.
“As some leaders do not share the same opinion, it is the Syura Council that must come up with a consensus,” Mahfodz was quoted as saying.
The split has been obvious over the past few weeks with PAS leaders giving conflicting statements openly and it has been amplified by pro-Umno media, including Utusan Malaysia.
Those supporting the previous decision are president Abdul Hadi Awang, his deputy Mohamad Sabu, Youth chief Nasruddin Hassan and Mahfodz, who were of the view that 'Allah' can be used by non-Muslims as long as it is not abused.
This stance is also agreed by Pakatan Rakyat.
However, PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali, deputy spiritual leader Haron Din, ulama chief Harun Taib, and information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, are among those against the use of ‘Allah’ in the Malay Bible.
Earlier on, Tuan Ibrahim even issued a statement stating that it was the party’s stance before his words were denied by Hadi.
The thorny matter raised its head again when DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, in his Christmas message, called on Putrajaya to allow Christians to use the term 'Allah' in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible.
DAP later clarified that the call was only for the term to be allowed for use in Sabah and Sarawak.
(5) Group: M'sia only country to restrain use of 'Allah' word, 11 January 2013
Malaysia is the only country in the world where non-Muslims are being restrained from using of the word ‘Allah’, claimed Catholic Lawyers’ Society president Joy Appukuttan.
Urging the country to respect the rights of the minority, Joy said there is no basis or justification for one religious group or the executive to dictate another group's choice of words in religious books or publications.
“Each religious group has their own views from a theological standpoint on the use of the word ‘Allah’.
“There is no basis for one religious group to deny another of their constitutional guarantee of religious freedom and the right to educate its believers in the way that they determine, as set out in Articles 11 (1) and (3) of the federal constitution,” he said.
“The ‘Allah’ issue has been heavily politicised, as Malaysia is the only nation in the world where non-Muslims are being restrained from the use of the word ‘Allah’,” he said.
He pointed out, in a statement, that Malaysia has many legislation for those who utter, injure, disturb or trespass against any religious communities, as prescribed under Section 295 to 298 of the Penal Code.
He was commenting on the prohibition on the use of the word among non-Muslims in Selangor.
Joy said the federal government, on April 2, 2011, had announced a 10-point solution that included the import of bibles in all languages and that there is no limit be set on printing or the choice and references of words used.
Hence, he said any restrictions imposed would contradict the federal government’s stand, as reflected in the announcement.
Understand each other's faith
Pointing to the landmark Herald case, in which the Kuala Lumpur High Court had on Dec 31, 2009, declared the blanket ban on the use of word Allah on non-Muslims “as illegal”, he said the court recognises the non-Muslims right to the use of the word.
“We call on all parties to respect the constitutional rights of the minority religious communities and allow them to profess, practise and manage its own affairs including the continued use of ‘Allah’ and not impose their own views, inhibitions, restrictions or control on other religious communities.
“We also call on all parties to work towards better understanding of each other's faith in order to preserve peace and harmony. The inter-religious committee set up by the federal government should take heed and act to bring together all religious groups to achieve greater understanding and respect.”
He added that the rakyat’s constitutional rights to religious freedom should not be sacrificed at the expense of political expediency.
(6) NGOs protest use of 'Allah' in Malay Bibles... again, 11 January 2013
by Abdul Rahim Sabri
A group of pro-establishment NGOs rallied about 200 of their supporters at the Shah Alam Mosque to protest the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the Malay translation of the Christian Bible.
They also claimed to uphold the royal decree made by Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah who had banned ‘Allah’ from being used by non-Muslims in the state as it is a holy word that is specific to the Muslim faith and its adherents, as outlined in a fatwa gazetted by the National Fatwa Council on Feb 28, 2010.
“We the people of Selangor demand that all parties respect the Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation amongst Muslims) Enactment 1988 which was enacted in line with Article 11(4) of the constitution,” said Hamidzun Khairuddin, a spokesperson for the group.
He quoted Section 9 of the Enactment which expressly prohibits non-Muslims from using the word ‘Allah’ in any way in relation with their own religion.
“We the people of Selangor want to advise non-Muslims to stay out of Islam’s affairs to avoid friction and misunderstandings between the faiths and races of the country,” added Hamidzun.
He also warned all quarters, especially political parties, not to make use of or manipulate Islam as political capital, claiming it will cause confusions amongst the rakyat and lead to racial and religious strife.
“We would like to warn all political parties, do not let your pursuit of power lead to a Pyrrhic victory. Foreign enemies watch our every move. They are jealous of our harmony and often look for ways to cause religious and racial strife on Malaysian soil.”
Also present in the rally which took place after Friday prayers today were Jalur Tiga (Jati) president Hasan Ali, senator Ezam Mohd Nor, Gerakan Prihatin Rakyat Selangor chairperson Sohaimi Shahadan and various NGO representatives.
Other NGOs present were Malay rights advocacy group Perkasa, Muslim consumer association PPIM and the Selangor Youth Council.
Hasan questions rationale
Hasan, who also spoke at the rally to shouts of ‘Takbir!’ and ‘Daulat Tuanku’ from the crowd, questioned the rationale used by non-Muslims and Christians who want to use ‘Allah’ in the Malay translation of the Bible.
The former PAS leader expressed disappointment with Muslims who seem to allow the non-Muslims to use ‘Allah’, fearing that soon churches will be called House of Allah and the word will be inscribed on crosses and crucifixes and used by Christians for their “well-coordinated purposes”.
Hasan said the group will organise a larger rally in two weeks time to punctuate their point that the use of ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims will adversely affect Muslims for generations to come.
Sohaimi, who is also an Umno Youth exco member, chastised those who had raised the matter again after it had simmered down, warning that religion should not be politicised and must not be belittled as Muslims must answer for it in the Hereafter.
(7) How 'Brahma' became 'Allah',11 January 2013
by Azly Rahman
I'd like to see discussions on the concept of ‘god’ more from a ‘transcultural flow of ideas’ rather than seeing it blown out or proportion. We can look at moments in the history of literature in which creative adaptations happen they pertain to how concept of the Divine or the idea of the deity gets enculturalised.
Below is an excerpt of the paper, Islamising the Ramayana, that I wrote during my undergraduate days, analysing the influence of Valmiki’s Ramayana in South-East Asia.
Excerpt:
The popularity of Ramayana and other Hindu epics at the time of the arrival of Islam, without suspect, brought major concerns to Islamic preachers at that time. In fact, a religious writing by an Islamic scholar from Gujerat, India who served in the court of the sultan of Acheh in the early part of the 17th century, condemned the Hikayat Seri Rama as “unfit for Muslim readers”.
Sir Richard Winstedt, a critic of the classical Malay literature was not far from being right when he mentioned that the first task of the Islamic preachers was to replace the heroes in Indian epics with Islamic warriors (Ahmad, 1981, pp 110).
The spread of Islam was so very intense that Hinduism held by the people of this region was reduced to their social customs only; marriage, birth and funeral ceremonies. From time to time the Hindu beliefs were replaced by customs characteristic of Islam. As told in another classical Malay epic, Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, the Hindu idols were from time to time destroyed. Hinduism became very weak, hence.
This condition manifested itself in the development of the Malay literature, Hindu elements that originated from the Hindu holy scriptures, for instance, the Ramayana and Mahabharatta that glorified Vishnu, Siva, Brahma and other gods and godesses were replaced with Islamic concept of the Supreme being (Hamid, 1974, pp 77-78).
To illustrate the point above, let me compare two passages of the epic in its Indian version (as told by William S Buck) and to the one in Shellabear’s version of the Hikayat Seri Rama. These passages concern with the Rakshasha King Ravana’s coming into power: Ravana held the knife to his throat, when Brahma appeared and said, “Stop! Ask me a boon at once!”
“I am glad that I please you,” said Ravana. “Please me!” said Brahma. “Your will is dreadful, too strong to be neglected; like a bad disease, I must treat it. Your pains make me hurt. Ask!” “May I be unslayable and never defeated by the gods or any one from any heaven, by Hell’s devils or Asuras or demon spirits, by underworld serpents or Yakshas or Rakshasas.” “Granted!” said Brahma quickly.
He gave Ravana back his burnt heads better looking than before. They rose living and smoothed down his black moustaches. Brahma told Vibhishana, “Ask.” “May I never forget Dharma in peril or in pleasure, in comfort or in distraction.” Brahma said, “Yes, and you will be immortal on Earth and exempt from death or oblivion, and my truth knows no turning” (Buck, 1976, pp 23).
Here in the Indian version, Lord Brahma, the creator is presented as the one approaching King Ravana. In the Malay version, there was a middle man who dealt with what Ravana’s wishing for, the prophet Adam, first man on Earth.
With the blessing and power of Allah (SWT) the prophet Adam was hence descended from heaven for some period of time on earth. Once upon a time, at dawn, the prophet was walking on Earth when he met Ravana, meditating, hanging upside down. The prophet asked:
“O Ravana, why art thou doing as such to thyself? How long has thou been this way?” Ravana replied, “O Gracious prophet of Allah. I have been in this condition for twelve years.” Adam then said, “O Ravana, what is it that thou hath begged from Allah (SWT) that thou hath acted as such?” Ravana answered, “O My Lord Prophet of Allah, if it would be at all possible that thou would asketh Lord Allah’s granting of my wish. I would hence proclaim the nature of it.”
The prophet Adam then said, “O Ravana tell me the nature of the wish of thou” (Shellabear, 1964, pp 3).
Thus, Ravana told the prophet of his wish that Allah grant him four kingdoms on earth, heaven, the underworld and the seas. The prophet then told Ravana:
“Hence, at this moment, thou hath to promise me, that whenth thou doth commit wrongdoings or thou subjects doth doings as such and thou blesseth thee therein and not judge otherwise, thou hath to accept the wrath of thy Lord Allah. Whereas thou agreeth upon this promise. I would hereby asketh upon Lord Allah thou’s humble wishes (Shellabear, 1964, pp 2).
From the three passages quoted above, there are several differences that could be accounted:
(i) The concept of the creator in Valmiki’s Ramayana, Brahma is replaced by that of Prophet Adam as the one who approached Ravana.
(ii) Brahma, as the god who creates, seems to be portrayed as weak, threatened by Ravana’s meditative acts.
“Please me!” said Brahma, “Your will is dreadful too strong to be neglected; like a bad disease, I must treat it. Your pains make me hurt. Ask!” (Buck, 1976, pp 23).
In Hikayat Seri Rama, Ravana in the beginning of his coming to power, had to ask the utmost consent of the Supreme Being, Allah, to grant him the four kingdoms. His wish could not possibly be channeled directly to Allah, rather, the prophet Adam was asked to present his wish.
Leading to idolatry
Here, the concept of Brahma as the Supreme Creator and Allah is very different in a way that Brahma’s supremacy was shaken by Ravana’s meditative act and hence, Brahma had to grant whatever the Rakshasha was asking for to save himself.
On the other hand, Islam does not see the power and might of the Supreme Being, Allah as anywhere in the position of that portrayed by Brahma. This leads to another discussion of the conception of God; The Hindus divided God into three deities: (1) Brahma, the Creator, (2) Vishnu, the Preserver and (3) Shiva, the Destroyer.
This led to idolatry and images being made out of these dieties and cults formed to worship one or the other of these gods (Akhbar, 1983, pp 52). The concept of god in Islam is such that Allah is ‘Unit and Indivisible’.
He is born of none and has given birth to none, there is no sharer in His authority and that He is the Creator, Nourisher, and Sustainer of all universe, and has full sovereignty over them and everything in them for destroying and recreating (Akhbar, 1983, pp 71).
Therefore, the passages and commentaries presented above showed the difference in the conception of God in the treatment of both epics; the original being very Hindu and the derivative of the Ramayana, whilst the Hikayat Seri Rama was given an Islamic treatment.
End of Excerpt
How them must we Malaysians look at the current controversy on the word ‘Allah’ as we frame the discussions not only philologically, but also through the study of humanities, so that we will be all the more cultured in the way we look at the evolution of knowledge?
・DR AZLY RAHMAN, who was born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Baru, holds a Columbia University (New York) doctorate in International Education Development and Master’s degrees in the fields of Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies and Communication. He has taught more than 40 courses in six different departments and has written more than 300 analyses on Malaysia. His teaching experience spans Malaysia and the United States, over a wide range of subjects from elementary to graduate education. He currently resides in the United States.
(8) Nooh: 'Allah' yes-men may be deemed apostates, 12 January 2013
by Bernama
Johor Islamic Affairs Council adviser Nooh Gadut today said those who allow the abuse of the word 'Allah' can be considered as apostates and should repent immediately.
He said the word 'Allah' was the exclusive right of Islam and Muslims.
"When the doctrine of tauhid was clearly stated in the Quran and hadis, besides the ijmak ulamak, then there is no compromise.
"If one dares to violate the doctrine on purpose and while being in a rational state of mind, he can be considered as apostate and infidel," he told reporters after opening the Seminar on Endowment and Inheritance Planning in Islam in Johor Baru today.
Present were president of Malaysian Islamic Chamber of Commerce Muhammad Ali Hashim and as-Salihin Trustee Berhad chief executive officer Abdul Aziz Peru Mohamed.
Nooh said the Quran had clearly explained that 'Allah' was the exclusive word for Muslims as stated in Surah Al-Thaha verse 14 which means: "Verily, I am Allah. There is no god except Me. So worship Me and establish prayers for My remembrance."
"So, it is clear that whoever say that all religions are the same can be considered as an apostate.
"That is why when we talk about faith and the doctrines of the Quran, it cannot be based on political interpretation of either the opposition or the government," Nooh said.
He said if the use of the word 'Allah' was allowed in the Malay language-Bible, it would definitely create confusion as the Christian religion teaches that there are three different gods.
He also rapped certain quarters for meddling with the social contract which had been the foundation for peace and harmony in the country.
"If the issue is not resolved soon, it can lead to chaos. To whom it may concern, do not cross the line because I'm sure one day the Muslims will lose their patience and will do anything to defence their faith," he added.
On another development, Nooh said many Muslims in the country were unaware or having little knowledge about importance of will and inheritance planning.
He said this would lead to many more unsolved disputes among family members.
"Inheritance planning is very important to ensure that our properties will be well managed after we die and that all matters, including our debts and our children's wellbeing, will be solved and taken care of," he added.
- Bernama
(End)
