1. Malaysian Insider (http://www.themalaysianinsider.com）
Bishop calls for Najib to take stand against Perkasa, Jati, 13 July 2013
by Elizabeth Zachariah
Christians have had enough of the bashing from the likes of Perkasa and other Malay rights groups. They expect Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to intervene and “do the right thing” by rejecting such extremism.
This was the stand of the president of the Council of Churches Malaysia, Bishop Philip Lok. He was speaking to The Malaysian Insider in the wake of the demands by Perkasa and Jati that the Vatican’s envoy Archbishop Joseph Marino withdraw his support for the local church’s campaign to use the word Allah and that he must apologise within seven days.
The vocal rights groups have demanded that the government shut down the Vatican’s embassy and banish Marino if he does not apologise.
They were reacting to the Archbishop’s comments in an interview with local media that though he recognised that the ongoing court case on the Allah issue was an internal matter, he supported the position taken by the Christian Federation of Malaysia that Allah was a word for god in the Christian religion too.
Bishop Lok said that it was time the government took action against Perkasa and Jati for trying to disrupt diplomatic ties between Malaysia and the Vatican.
"We appreciate that two years ago the Prime Minister had established ties with the Vatican. He has worked hard for that. Does he want to jeopardise the good relationship that he has fostered with them over the years?" he asked.
He urged Najib to do the “right thing and reject extremism”.
"He should put an end to this and not succumb to their demands. The people of Malaysia have had enough of this.”
Referring to the rights groups, he added: "They have been saying all sorts of things against the Christians, in particular. This is no different.
"But the Government is not seen to be taking any action against these people who have been causing religious tension in the country."
He added that the Prime Minister must ensure that his promise of national reconciliation not just remain words.
The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) deputy president Jagir Singh said Marino had no reason to retract his statement as he was speaking the truth.
Referring to the calls for a retraction, Mr Singh said: "It is not fair to ask him to do that. It is his right. The Archbishop's stand is correct.”
Catholic Bishop Paul Tan said that he was shocked at the reaction of the two Malay rights NGOs, noting that the Vatican envoy’s remarks “should not be seen as an interference in Malaysia’s internal affairs any more than the demand at some embassies in Kuala
Lumpur recently that our government reject the goings-on in Egypt and Syria constitutes interference in those nations’ affairs’’.
The head of the Catholic Church in the Malacca-Johor diocese described Perkasa and Jati’s demands as “gimmicky sabre-rattling”.
He told Malaysiakini: “Rash talk is cheap especially on the part of those who do not have the responsibility.
"Former Plantation Industries and Commodities minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said Perkasa has gone way too far in their demand.
"To ask an ambassador to leave... that is just unbelievable.
"Groups in this country have also commented on what happens in other countries. I don't see what's wrong," he added.
However, Dompok was certain that the statements by Jati and Perkasa would not affect the relationshi[p between Malaysia and the Vatican.
"I believe the ties between both sovereign countries are stronger than this," he said.
2. Malaysiakini(http://www.malaysiakini.com)
(1) Bishop astonished by Muslim NGOs' reaction, 13 Juyl 2013
by Terence Netto
Catholic Bishop Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing said he was astonished at the umbrage felt by some Muslim NGOs over Vatican envoy to Malaysia Archbishop Joseph Marino's support for the local church's campaign to use the term 'Allah' in faith education and in their rituals of prayer and worship.
In his first interview with the local media, the papal nuncio - the Vatican's equivalent of an ambassador to Malaysia - said that although he recognised the ongoing court case on the use of the 'Allah' term as an internal matter, he supported Christian Federation of Malaysia's arguments for the use of the term as "quite logical and acceptable".
Marino's remarks have drawn fire from Malay rights groups Jati and Perkasa which have demanded that Marino apologises and withdraws his remarks within seven days, failing which the government should close down the embassy.
"The nuncio's remarks should not seen as an interference in Malaysia's internal affairs any more than the demand of some demonstrators at some embassies in Kuala Lumpur recently that our government reject the goings-on in Egypt and Syria constitutes interference in those nations' affairs," said Bishop Paul Tan, who is the head of the Catholic Church in the Malacca-Johor diocese.
"Certain issues are of such spiraling resonance that they transcend the boundaries within which they are properly dealt with such that comment on them by parties seemingly attenuated from the fray cannot be regarded as exceeding the bounds of propriety," argued the Jesuit-trained prelate.
Marino's disclaimer of intent
"The events in Syria and Egypt are of that nature and likewise the use of the term ‘Allah'. Try as we might, these are matters that cannot be confined within the parameters of their particular jurisdictions.
"They have an international resonance and comment and concern expressed about them are as inevitable as concern from Indonesia's neighbours would be on the question of open burning on the island of Sumatra," expatiated the bishop.
"You will notice the nuncio uttered a disclaimer of intent to interfere in our internal affairs before giving an opinion on the logic behind arguments for the use of the 'Allah' term."
Bishop Paul Tan described as "gimmicky sabre-rattling" the demand of some agitated NGOs that the government close down the Vatican's embassy if the envoy does not apologise and retract his remarks on the Allah issue.
"Rash talk is cheap especially on the part of those who do not have the responsibility," said the bishop.
Marino, 60, arrived in Malaysia in mid-April as the first papal ambassador to Malaysia, two years after Malaysia established diplomatic ties with the Vatican.
(2) Jamil Khir ticks off Marino over 'Allah' remark, 13 July 2013
by Bernama
Vatican City ambassador to Malaysia Archbishop Joseph Marino should not have issued the statement on the use of the word 'Allah' as it has created anxiety among the public and can threaten national unity, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom said.
He said such a statement should not be made by any quarters to respect the sensitivity of Muslims in the country.
"The religious tolerance in this country should be taken into account by all quarters when issuing statements that could be interpreted as disrupting racial harmony in Malaysia," he said in a statement today.
He said the National Fatwa Council had issued a ruling that the word ‘Allah’ was specially for use by Muslims in the country and should not be abused by any quarters.
"I advise all quarters to not make a polemic of the issue on the word ‘Allah’ until a decision is made by the court," he added.
A coalition of Malay Muslims non-governmental organisations had yesterday urged the government to "chase away" the ambassador for issuing the statement.
- Bernama
(3) Archbishop Marino walks into a religious firestorm,14 July 2013
I don't understand why the extremists in Malaysia feel that they have the reason to claim absolute rights over the word ‘Allah.'
Perkasa and Jati want M'sian Vatican office to be closed
Aries46: These Umno friendly right-wing groups were lurking in the fringes post-GE13 licking their wounds and bidding for time to make a return to the limelight and Archbishop Joseph Marino of the Vatican presented them the perfect opportunity to do so.
The usage of the term ‘Allah' by Muslims and Christians was never an issue anywhere in the world until it was made one here by Umno.
If Marino's statement as claimed amounts to interference, then is it right for Malaysia to be involved in conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere under the pretext of providing humanitarian aid?
Is this the 'shit stirring' that Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Mansor was alluding to?
Poor Archbishop Marino. Even in his wildest dream he wouldn't have thought that his well-intended statement would evoke so much of 'stirring'.
ZhuGeLiang: Life is just too good in Malaysia. A lot of these people have nothing else better to do than to cause trouble.
Islam is the dominant religion in this country and there is absolutely no doubt about it. It is also clearly stated in the constitution. So what is there to fear?
Likewise, the Malays will always be in power in Malaysia. How can it be otherwise? You don't need a rocket scientist to tell you that.
They are the majority race with 65 percent of the population and growing. So what is there to fear the other races? On the contrary, they should be more fearful of themselves.
Qaswedfrt: I feel that the Vatican representative has the responsibility to voice his opinions.
Personally I don't understand why the extremists in Malaysia feel that they have the reason to claim absolute rights over the word ‘Allah' when the usage of the word by other religions is accepted by their fellow brothers and sisters in other parts of the world.
Ferdtan: Perkasa and Jati, the 13th general election is over. The Kuala Besut by-election may be held soon but the state seat has few or no non-Muslim voters. so there is no need to make a fuss.
We don't understand the purpose of this game of defending the Islam in such an aggressive manner. Was it that Perkasa and Jati had been sidelined by Umno's top leaders after the last general election?
As they were not successful in any of the seats they contested, they were discarded. Is this the way to embarrass and to bring back their ‘glorious past' when Umno, before the general election, treated them with awe and respect?
This public display may hurt PM Najib Razak in the run-up to the Umno party election at the end of the year.
We shall see whether a lucrative position may be offered to Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali to make him happy. Poor thing, he had said that he may have to resort to driving a taxi to earn a living.
Kee Thuan Chye: Is this what Malaysians are about? Someone says something we don't agree with and we want to shut them down, run them out of the country?
Then how are we ever going to broaden our minds? Isn't the better option to engage them in debate? Or if that's not desirable, then let them have their say and let them be?
This is supposed to be a democracy, where all manner of ideas should be allowed to be floated. How do we progress if we continue to be petty-minded and narrow-minded and resort to telling people to shut up or get out when we don't agree with them? We need to grow up.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not a Christian and I'm not siding anyone. I'm not even looking at this as a religious issue; it could be any other issue. I'm merely talking about being human and letting other people have their say, whatever it may be.
Hasan Ali and Ibrahim Ali are elderly people. They should teach their people to think better. As elders and leaders, they should be setting a better example for Malaysians.
Vijay47: I am convinced that there is a clandestine group, or maybe not-so-covert group, possibly led by an ex-meter-reader, who meet every morning and ask themselves, "What outlandish issue shall we raise today to threaten and exert pressure on the non-Malays and non-Muslims?"
Hence we have ridiculous demands being made by this and similar bodies almost every single day.
The victims would naturally defend and explain their position and voila! it would then be the turn of Utusan Malaysia and related politicians to come out with ‘Islam, Malays, the Malay rulers, and Jawi are under attack' spin.
Since when is it illegal for a religious leader to justify his religion's form of worship? How is that "interference"?
It must be very lucrative to set up these NGOs, since they will get a fat grant for the defence of the realm and as long as they scream "Islam" a few times, and nobody is really bothered if the grants are actually used to buy cows or condos in Singapore.
Abasir: A seven-day ultimatum by 'Malay rights' groups? Wow, I'm sure the lights will burn late into the night at the Vatican as the conclave meets to discuss Perkasa and Jati.
Diplomatic cables will be whizzing back and forth among European capitals, the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) will convene an emergency meeting while the Arab League gathers to prepare a response.
Now who says 'Malay rights' groups do not have international clout?
Hang Babeuf: This Archbishop Mourinho should just go back to Chelsea FC (Football Club) where he came from. That should be the specific Perkasa/Jati demand.
・The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments.
(4) Vatican envoy says 'no intention' to interfere, 16 July 2013
Vatican envoy to Malaysia Archbishop Joseph Marino has conveyed his apology over misunderstandings which arose following his comments on the ‘Allah’ issue.
“The comments were never intended as an attempt to intrude into the internal affairs of the country,” the Vatican's embassy said in a statement.
Marino had also conveyed the message through Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman in a meeting with the latter at Wisma Putra this afternoon.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said that the minister advised the envoy "to be mindful of the religious sensitivities of the host country".
He was also reminded that the issue of the usage of the word 'Allah' is still pending in court.
"In this regard, Archbishop Marino was asked to observe the basic principles in diplomatic practices as well as non-interference with the domestic affairs of the host country," it said.
It also added the envoy had "apologised for the misunderstandings and inconveniences" caused by his comments.
Marino had last Thursday expressed support to the Christian Federation of Malaysia's stand to allow the use of the word Allah among Christians, sparking outcry among some Malay-Muslim NGOs.
Allah is used in the Bahasa Malaysia versions of the Bible, especially by Christians in Sabah and Sarawak as the mostly bumiputera congregation there worship in Bahasa Malaysia.
(5) Respect and sensitivity are owed to all religions, 17 July 2013
Respect and sensitivity are owed to all and not just to members of a particular faith. So all students should learn about all civilisations.'
Abim says Titas will prevent repeat of Alvivi incident
David Dass: Knowledge of one another's culture and religion will be good for all and will avoid religious insensitivities as in the case of the two Malay journalists who went into a Catholic church and took the sacred hosts and subsequently desecrated the hosts.
Nothing could have been more offensive to Catholics than that. Respect and sensitivity are owed to all and not just to members of a particular faith. So all students should learn about all civilisations and all religions.
Yellow Bird: Diversity by learning about only one civilisation? Yeah, right.
God Save Us: Kid yourselves and continue to drive the best brains out of this country. The problems started from segregation and discrimination in primary schools.
When attitudes of adults are tainted, when the system has been systematically engineered to heighten racial polarisation from a young age, what would you expect the end products to be?
Moral studies, which is basically largely religiously slanted, can only be a failure when responses in exams are meant to be memorised and regurgitated.
The subject matter and curriculum in the history syllabus is a joke. And now some dimwits clamour to introduce Islamic and Asian civilisation (Titas) for all private universities?
Haveagreatday: It will not, as has been shown, prevent cow-head stomping by some misguided Muslims.
LogicalMalaysian: What the bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee did was horrendous and they should be punished for their unwarranted action.
Also, Abim president Amidi Abdul Manan must insist that all those who insult the sentiments of those belonging to other faiths should sent back to school or college to re-educate them, including those who carried the dismembered cowhead in public.
EnyumUnta: Abim, on a similar note, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Asian Civilisation studies would also have prevented the likes of Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali, and his vice-president Zulkifli Nordin, from insulting and ridiculing other religions.
Chipmunk: So what about teaching Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity to all students in Malaysia?
In that way, we will ensure that every one learns to respect and understand all major religions in Malaysia and not only Islam.
Make this compulsory and I hope the Umno leaders will first learn to respect all other religions before trying to make things right.
Odin: Amidi, in his Golden Rule of Ethics, Confucius (about 551-479 BC) said, "Do to others as you would like them to do to you." Some 500 years later, Jesus taught exactly the same thing.
If you want others to respect Islam, then Muslims should respect other religions. We all know how some of you have shown utter disrespect to certain other religions. And these people included those who are supposed to be well educated, too.
Respect flows both ways. A respects B, and B, in turn, will automatically respect A. You can teach all the subjects under the sun in Malaysian universities, but it will never but never inculcate in students the need to respect other religions when their religions are not respected.
Abasir: The teaching of the Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana in private higher education institutions will inculcate respect among races and avoid any incidents which can be deemed offensive to Hindus, such as the derogatory speech ridiculing Hindus and Hinduism by Umno's"winnable" candidate Zulkifli Nordin and other Muslim politicians like him.
I'm sure Amidi will agree that what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
Wira: Amidi, blogger Alvin Tan studied in a public tertiary institution in Singapore. Go sell your 'ingenious' theory to the Singapore premier.
In all likelihood, this yearning-for-attention couple might have thought they could get away with such a crass joke from lenient government actions to racist Umno supporters/leaders because none who insulted the faith of others were prosecuted.
Kookie: Insensitivity is a matter of attitude and no amount of knowledge will change it. Amidi is talking absolute rubbish and he also is guilty of insensitivity by promoting Titas.
Teach Muslims to be better Muslims, Christians to be better Christians, Buddhists to be better Buddhists, etc, and we will have a better society.
Fair Play: Mutual respect is a two-way street, especially for a diversified nation like Malaysia. Is it too much to ask all communities to respect one another?
Besides, using the example of these two to justify the proposed action is poor use of statistics to justify the means to an end.
Progressive: One Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee does not make Malaysia. And why not have Buddhist, Taoist, Hinduism, Christianity studies so that no Umno Muslims will ever want to burn a bible or perform a cow-head demonstration?
Myop101: I disagree on Titas. I doubt it can fix the problem. Look at the history lessons taught in Form 4 and 5 where lots of emphasis is given on Islamic civilisation (which these idiots, Alvin and Vivian, would have learnt when they were in school).
If you listened to their confession and read the interviews in the newspapers, they claimed to be fully aware that eating pork is forbidden in Islam and they still proceeded to offend Muslims on the pretext it was just dark humour.
It just shows their lack of respect for others. The best way for such people to learn is to throw them in jail.
Baiyuensheng: I think we should also teach other religions and civilisations as well, as we don't want our students becoming like Perkasa veep Zulkifli Noordin.
This will also show our multi-cultural and multi-religion society. The Muslims will become better Muslims and non-Muslims will become better non-Muslims. It will also promote a more harmonious co-existence.
Swipenter: See how one sided are their reasoning and arguments.
What compulsory subjects should be introduced in our schools and tertiary institutions that would stop some people from verbalising, printing and falsifying facts deemed offensive to Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, etc?
Anonymous #71627369: If you want people to appreciate diversity, then include all civilisations and religions in the subject.
Call it Teaching of Religious Understanding and World Civilisation Education (Truce). So you don't want Alvivi, but what about Zulkifli Noordin, Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, Harussani Zakaria and the like?
・The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers.
(6) Malaysian minorities used as a political footballs, 17 July 2013
by Kuo Yong Kooi
There is a clear pattern here that the Malaysian minorities are being used as a political football by the authorities - and for many years now.
There are countless examples of this behaviour from the powers-that-be playing this game to gain political mileage to stay in power.
The "Allah" row, the Child Conversion Bill, accusations of the Christian group trying to proselytise to the Muslims, vernacular schools, two churches fire-bombed in January 2010, the calls for a Malay Bible burning festival by Perkasa in January 2013, the cow head demonstration against Hindu temple in August 2009, the Lina Joy apostasy issue.
The latest is in this month, where two Malay right wing NGOs called for the closure of the Malaysian Vatican office for openly supporting the Malaysian Catholic Church's stand on the "Allah" row.
Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng started the noise by making a call in his 2012 Christmas message for the Malay-language Bible, to be freely available. That statement was used for political mileage by Umno to score high against PAS.
The perception that Pakatan is being run by DAP is real in the eyes of the Malay heartland voters. This issue is a point scorer for Umno against PAS and Pakatan. Umno will play it to the hilt over and over again in future elections.
Another point to consider on the recent Conversion Bill issue was that most Malay members of Parliament from the Pakatan Pact did not come out to make a bold stand against the Child Conversion Bill.
Anwar Ibrahim did relate the matter back to the days of Muhammad on a similar incidenct but stated that he needed further consultation with the Pakatan Pact on this issue.
Unlike the "Allah" debacle, Tuan Guru Nik Aziz came out openly to say that Christians can use the word "Allah" in the Malay-language Bible.
The Malay opposition members of the Pakatan pact are caught in this conundrum when the religion card was played on them. They do not want to be seen as not Islamic enough.
Unless the Pakatan pact redraw the strategy of "PAS ganti Umno", it will be hard for them to outwit Umno on matters Islam against other religions.
PAS Dewan Ulama chief Datuk Harun Taib in a recent July 13th, 2013 press statement reaffirmed his position on the Allah word is exactly the type of response the Umno master minds wanted. It has a powerful divisive effect within the PAS rank and file and within the Pakatan pact.
This can shatter the people's faith on the Pakatan pact. This "sandiwara" has already started to replay again leading up the the Kuala Besut by-election.
New political reality
The interesting part is that there is a new political reality emerging in the light of the recent GE13 results.
The current Umno administration is now relying, and will increasingly rely on the Christian majority East Malaysians to sustain a strong position in Putrajaya.
The question to ask is what are the best strategies that we can deploy to stop the Umno administration from perpetuating this reckless and irresponsible path of dividing Malaysians?
Is going to the courts over the "Allah" debacle the best solution?
In reality, winning or losing over the rights to use the word "Allah" in the Malay-language Bible will not be able to stop this political football from being bounced around by Umno.
If Umno loses its appeal in court, it becomes a uniting factor for Muslims to stand behind Umno on the matter. If they win, it is a confidence booster to unite behind Umno.
The only way to stop the political football from bouncing around is to form a political football team or openly back one. By doing that, we can start kicking the football to the direction we want to go.
Technically religions should stay out of politics. The church has demonstrated tremendous human rights abuses in the past centuries.
I can forgive and forget if a religion based political party will always be a minority for the purpose of balance of power.
If that balance of power is directed appropriately, it is effective to stop all the nonsense spewed on us by Umno and its mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia.
I believe that there is a potential for the Malaysian Christians to be a formal political force in East Malaysia. I guess the best way to start is to brainstorm on re-packaging the Christian brand prevalent in Malaysia at the moment.
The heart of all religions
The throwaway materialistic society that we are living at the moment is the antithesis of all religions.
All the world's great religions want us to live a simplistic lifestyle so that we can embark on a spiritual path of contemplation/prayers/meditation.
All devout religious followers are also advised to help the poor and disenfranchised.
Liberation theology began in Latin America in 1950s to the 60s within the Catholic Church. It interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in relation to liberation of unjust economic, political, or social conditions in Latin America.
Liberation theology had also influenced the people's power movement of the Philippine during the era of the Marcos dictatorship.
The common question asked by liberation theologians was that if Jesus is alive today he would fight for the plight of the poor and the disenfranchised.
I actually had a Filipino workmate in mid-Eighties who asked me this question. If Jesus is alive in the Philippines today would he be working for Imalda Marcos or for the poor?
That question has changed my idea of what Christianity is.
The Latin America of today was shaped to some extent by the activism of the liberation theologians.
Probably the financially rich Church congregations in West Malaysia should make a field trip to Latin America or the Philippines and see how they work and try to apply that to East Malaysia situation.
If the liberation theology idea is not palatable, try making a field trip to America and see how the church lobby group works in the Republicans and Democratic parties.
If hypothetically the Malaysian Christian lobby manages to get fifteen to twenty Christians MPs from East Malaysia who cannot be corrupted by Umno money politics, all the religious and racial vitriol including the ranting from Utusan might just go away overnight.
Some might argue that setting up a new political party may complicate the multi-cornered fights situation that were rampant in East Malaysia as shown in the last general election.
The opposition Pakatan pact has yet to find a remedy to that conundrum and that was one of the main reasons why BN won big in East Malaysia in GE13.
The multi ethnic and multi religious winning formula against BN is so complex that any extension of a new political party or a political force with a new theme could either help or hinder the situation, it remains to be seen.
Using the unifying "Christian sister/brotherhoods" theme might be just what it is needed to put a common threat across the multi-cornered fights situation in East Malaysia. We don't know unless we try it out.
I am not from East Malaysia so it is hard for me to assess and make suggestions on how easy it is to gather the energies of the East Malaysians together through a Christian bloc rather than the current personal leaderships, ethnic, regional and sub indigenous division bloc.
That diverse divisions were shown to be disastrous for the opposition forces in the past.
It's about time all the opposition forces sit down and rehash an agreeable and winning formula to that conundrum.
The Umno right wing group endless cycle of the "sandiwara" on Christians versus Muslim rivalry might well lead to a natural emergence of a united front of an East Malaysian Christian bloc to counter this situation.
Resources most likely can come from the financially rich West Malaysian Church congregations.
The characteristics of the West Malaysian Christian congregations are different from the East Malaysians.
The West are more modern, trendy, well-educated, well connected group whereas the East are more traditional and indigenous based.
The Liberation Theology type of approach might be suitable for East Malaysia. The question posed is "is there a political will there"?
If there is, anything is possible in the world of politics.
To stay apolitical is not a good option
If the Malaysian Christian groups decide to continue to remain apolitical, going to court over the Allah issue will only settle that particular matter.
There will be more battles to come as we have previously seen the clear patterns of endless attacks from the reckless Umno party machinery.
Another point is that the Christians should seek out partnerships from a bigger group like The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) to defend this together if they want to remain apolitical.
Defending the "Allah" issue alone falls prey to the master plan of divide and rule from the authorities. Unfortunately the word "Allah" does not affect the other religious groups.
I also have difficulty grappling the idea of spiritual growth has to be based on a particular word use. I was often told by my Christians friends that "god" is hard to describe, god is all powerful, god is omnipresent, god is everything.
If that is the premise of what you believe then why argue over a word that we all agreed that it is hard to describe with words?
The same point of argument can be found in Buddhism. Buddhists had always said that it is very hard to describe "Nibbana".
If you have achieved enlightenment, there are no words that can describe that experience.
Buddhists that are not enlightened are encouraged to have faith in practising a "path" that would lead to enlightenment laid by the Buddha who is enlightened.
This logic would tell us that once you have understood and experienced enlightenment, you can call it whatever you want. People would find it hard to understand when you try to describe it with words.
So to extend that logic to the argument over the use of the word "Allah", it can be any other form of expression if you want other people to understand you without using the word Allah.
You can just look up to the sky or point your index figure up there, if people understood what you meant, that's all it needed.
Assessing the intuitive "right" brain is the key in deeper understanding of any religions. The logical thinking "left brain" are of little use when it comes to meditation, contemplation and connectedness with god.
Putting the "constitutional right" argument aside, the oxymoron here is we are going to the courts to argue over a use of a word that is hard to describe in words.
The Buddha described a "path" where followers can practice to get an understanding of what enlightenment is. The Christians and Muslims also have their "paths".
I would agree with our Malaysian Christian friends that the courts are needed to mitigate a dispute when followers are not allowed to follow a particular path, but a word is not a path.
As a Buddhist, I've always been taught that the path and the practice is more important than words. Words are ninety five percent rubbish when it comes to meditation in Buddhism.
The text and the words used are just guidelines for followers to practice a path. That was why you have the "old" and the "new" testament to guide practitioners at different times in history.
Unfortunately humans misinterpret whatever texts that were written in history. This is a fundamental flaw of the mind that human beings carry.
It interprets and redefines whatever they have read according to their own prism/biases/world views that had been imposed/impregnated in their mind through cultural conditioning and upbringing.
That is why all religions are not monolithic, this topic is best left for another article.
If you think you have the right practising path, we can always use a different word to describe it. There is really no need for any further arguments on the use of a particular word to practice the religion.
If we agree on that, it is best to drop the case because the basic flaws of our mind will lead to more cumulative conflicts over many other matters in the future and that can lead to a disastrous outcome.
As a Buddhist I was always taught to take all mishap or misfortune as an opportunity to learn and move on positively.
In this case, winning the "Allah" word use case in court or redefining the word "Allah" in the Malay-language bible will not stop your religious community from being used as a political football.
Another real risk that we may face if the religious minorities decide to stay apolitical is that there is always a possibility of defections in the Malaysian political scene.
If hypothetically in a situation where the opposition wins only a small margin in a future election, we might see a scenario where the conservative "Ulama" factions of PAS defect over to the Umno camp and upset the opposition's march to Putrajaya.
If you really think hard for the long term benefits of all ethnic and religious minorities, forming a formidable political force by taking the opportunity of the current political climate can be a positive way out of the predicament.
3. Union of Catholic Asian News (http://www.ucanews.com)
(1) Malaysia's 'galloping Islamization'Threats to close Vatican office as nation takes sharp pro-Islamic turn, 15 Juyl 2013
by Michael Lenz, Kuala Lumpur
In Malaysia, the tone of the anti-Christian campaign has become shriller. One of the new government’s first moves was to amend the Administration of Islamic Law so that consent from only one parent or guardian was required for a child to be converted to Islam. It drew flak from an array of rights groups, lawyers and politicians, and surprised by the fierce reaction, the bill was withdrawn earlier this month.
Yet it is not over yet. Some see it as an attempt by the government to shore up its conservative Muslim voter base, while others say it is a sign of the continuing Islamization of Malaysia. Other examples abound: the barely veiled threats against the papal nuncio Archbishop Joseph Marino, who has defended the rights of Malaysian Christians to use Allah as the word for God in the Malay language, are cause for concern.
"If he does not retract his statement in seven days, we will have….to ask the prime minister…to close the Vatican office and ask that the ambassador be sent back to the Vatican," said the radical Malay-Muslim supremacy organizations, Peraksa and Jati. Their accusations of an attempted ‘Christianisation’ of Malaysia signals rising tensions between the country’s disparate religious groups.
Around 60 percent of Malaysia’s population considers themselves to be Muslim; just over nine percent are Christian. Conflict between the two groups has been on the rise for several years, since the government in 2009 lifted a ban on the use of “Allah” as a translation for “God” in Malay-language Bibles. The ruling was followed by a series of attacks on Christian worship sites.
And last year, as the country prepared for elections, the government was forced to ditch the name of a seminar on "the threat of Christianity" after it was accused of attempting to stoke anti-Christian sentiment in a bid to win the Muslim vote.
While the debacle over the use of “Allah” can be seen as an issue of dissent between Muslims and Christians, the attempted conversion ruling would have affected all religious minorities in Malaysia. The big question is: what religion should children adhere to if ones parent leaves his or her religion to convert to Islam? There have been several cases in the past few years, where a father – in most cases a Hindu – converted to Islam and subsequently converted the children without having sought the mother’s consent.
The government claims the sole purpose of the bill was to rectify the lack of a legal provision for child conversions at the federal level. However, by attempting to legalize the right of the converted parent to convert the kids to his or her new religion, the government abandoned a cabinet decision made in April 2009. Back then the government agreed that minors were to be bound by the common religion of their parents while they were married, even if one parent later becomes a Muslim.
The prominent Bishop Tan had called the bill “morally and ethically wrong,” unconstitutional, and proof of the “galloping Islamization” underway in Malaysia. Many protested the ruling, from Chinese and Indian component parties of the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional, to the Malaysian Bar, to cabinet members and various rights groups.
“It is not fair to say that one parent can determine a child’s religion if the parent decides to convert to Islam.... As a lawyer and a Muslim, I am not comfortable with the situation,” Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had told the Malaysian daily, The Star.
The government has withdrawn the bill, yet more recently made Islamic and Asian Civilisation Studies compulsory for local students in private universities. With Chinese Buddhist organizations condemning the move as an “attempt at indoctrination,” it appears this conflict will continue well into the future.
(2) Apostolic nuncio strongly censured by Malaysian PM
Archbishop Marino bluntly told to keep out of escalating 'Allah' row, 16 Juyl 2013
by Mohsin Abdullah for The Edge Malaysia
The Malaysian government has strongly censured Archbishop Joseph Marino, the Apsotolic Nuncio of the Vatican to Malaysia, for not observing established diplomatic protocols and interefering in the affairs of the country.
In a strongly worded statement late this evening, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said Malaysia does not welcome foreign interference or influence on the sensitive matter of the usage of the word "Allah".
This is the statement in full:
"The government's decision to establish diplomatic relations with the Vatican was in recognition of the importance of cultural and religious dialogue to promote friendship and harmony. The Vatican, however, like any foreign mission, is required to observe the established diplomatic protocols, which among others, require them not to interfere in the domestic affairs of the host country. It is regrettable that the Vatican mission head HE Joseph Marino, the Apostolic Nuncio of the Vatican to Malaysia has done otherwise.
The matter (usage of the word "ALLAH") is currently being heard at the Court of Appeal and all parties should let the case be determined according to rule of law of the country. As a sovereign country, Malaysia does not welcome foreign interference or influence on this sensitive issue. Such interference will only stoke religious sentiments in the country and is not helpful in contributing towards ensuring racial and religious stabliity and harmony in Malaysia."
(3) Vatican envoy says sorry for 'Allah' comments
Personal apology made to Malaysian Foreign Minister, 17 Juyl 2013
The Star Malaysia
Vatican envoy to Malaysia Archbishop Joseph Marino has conveyed his apologies to Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman for his comments on the “Allah” issue and any misunderstanding it has caused.
In a statement released today, Marino said that it was never his intention to interfere in the internal affairs of Malaysia.
"The comments were never intended as an attempt to intrude into the internal affairs of the country," the statement said, adding that Marino extended his apology for any misunderstanding over it.
It was learnt that Marino attended a closed-door meeting with Anifah at Wisma Putra here on Tuesday afternoon.
Here is the full text of the statement.
At noon today (16 July 2013), the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Joseph Marino, had the opportunity to speak directly with the Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, who had called him to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the comments recently reported in the local media.
He was grateful to the Minister for the meeting during which he assured him the comments were never intended as an attempt to intrude into the internal affairs of the country. In that context, he asked him to convey apologies for any misunderstandings and inconveniences that it may have caused.
In fact the Apostolic Nuncio happily told the Honorable Minister, that as the former Holy See's Apostolic Nuncio to Bangladesh, a country whose majority population is Muslim, he firmly believes that inter-religious dialogue is the means to promote good relations among peoples of different faiths, who can discover the beauty of each others' belief. Consequently, he assured the Minister of the commitment of this Mission to promote closer relations among all religions.
(End)
