As for ‘Reza Aslan’ in the second news article, please refer to my previous posting (http://d.hatena.ne.jp/itunalily2/20130801). (Lily)
1. Malaysian Insider（http://www.themalaysianinsider.com）
Award-winning American Muslim scholar on Allah ruling: “We are laughing at you”, 22 October 2013
by Elizabeth Zachariah
Reza Aslan says Christians using the word Allah do not pose a threat to Islam. - Pic courtesy Wikimedia Commons / Roanoke College, October 22, 2013.A well-known American Muslim theologian has joined a long list of critics over the recent Court of Appeal ruling on the use of the word Allah, saying it was a "political decision more than anything else".
"This notion that Malaysian Muslims need to be protected by the court because you can't think for yourself, you can't make decisions on your own. We are laughing at you," said Reza Aslan, speaking on BFM Radio's Evening Edition programme yesterday.
"That you can control people's ideas, their behaviour, their faith and their minds simply by trying to control the words that they use, is absurd. It is an embarassment to a modern, constitutional, democratic and deeply Muslim state like Malaysia," he added.
Aslan insisted that Christians using the word Allah - which means God in Arabic - were not a threat to Islam.
"A Taliban put a bomb in the Quran and took it to a mosque in Pakistan, where Muslims were slaughtered on one of the holiest days in the Muslim calendar. You want to talk about threats to Islam? That's a threat to Islam," he said, in dismissing the argument that allowing Christians to use the word in their worship was a threat to Malaysian Muslims.
He was referring to an incident during the Aidiladha holidays, in which Afghan governor Arsala Jamal was killed while scores were injured after a bomb placed in a copy of the Quran went off in a mosque during the Eid sermon.
Aslan, who wrote the international bestseller No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, said he was mystified by the court ruling on October 14, stressing that the word Allah was merely an Arabic term for God, "any God".
"Allah is constuction of the the word al-Ilah. That's what the word is," he explained.
"Al-Ilah means 'The God'. Allah is not the name of God. Frankly, anyone who thinks that Allah is the name of God, is not just incorrect, but is going against the Quran itself. It is almost a blasphemous thought to think that Allah has a name.
"And this is not an interpretation. It is a historical fact," Reza added.
In its judgment, the Court of Appeal's three-man panel ruled that the word Allah "was not an integral part of the Christian faith and practice and that such usage if allowed, will inevitably cause confusion within the community".
The decision sparked a debate among local clerics and scholars, while several editorials in Muslim countries expressed their surprise over the issue.
Pakistan's Daily Times questioned the ruling, asking why Malaysia would deny people of other faiths to "own God in all His attributes". The United Arab Emirates's The National called the court ruling "wrong", and said the word Allah was never exclusive to Islam but used by both Christians and Jews to refer to God even before the advent of Islam.
Aslan poured scorn on the court verdict, asking, "How can you read that and not laugh?"
Soon after the court ruling last week, he had taken to Twitter and remarked, "How stupid has Malaysia just become? In honor of Malaysia banning the word Allah by non-Muslims I suggest US ban the word 'twerking' by anyone over age of 17," he said, referring to a type of sexually provocative dance.
Much of Aslan's interview yesterday was made available on Podcast.
In it, he slammed those who argue that the faith of Malaysian Muslims can be undermined if Christians use the word Allah.
"This idea that not only should Christians not be able to use this word, but that using the word is somehow a threat to Islam... that Malaysian (Muslims) are so stupid if they hear a Christian use the word Allah, they will accidentally become Christians. I mean, the idiocy of that statement speaks for itself," he said.
Echoing many other Muslim scholars and writers, Aslan said Christians and Jews in the Arabian peninsula since before the time of the Prophet Muhammad had been referring to God as Allah.
"Why? Because they spoke Arabic... that's why. Not because Allah meant a specific God but because that it is nothing more than the Arabic word for God. It is not an opinion. It is a fact," he pointed out.
"Any Imam that tells you God has a name, is blasphemous. It is as simple as that. Allah is not God's name. Muslims do not own the word itself," said the 41-year-old Iranian-American, who is Visiting Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Iowa. - October 22, 2013.
2. WorldWide Religious News（http://wwrn.org）
Christian group to member churches: Deny entry to Islamic authorities
("The Malay Mail Online," January 4, 2014)
Kuala Lumpur ― The country’s umbrella body for evangelical churches issued an advisory last night to leaders of its member churches to deny entry to any state Islamic authority attempting to raid or enter a church or premises of a Christian organisation.
The unprecedented advisory was made to nearly 2,500 evangelical churches after the Selanor Islamic authority (Jais) on Thursday seized 321 Bibles from a Christian group because they used the word Allah to refer to God.
Lawyers have called the raid unconstitutional as state Islamic enactments do not cover non-Muslims unless there is evidence of attempts to propagate to Muslims, while critics and observers have said the raid signals growing intolerance that has already inflamed ethnic and religious tension.
Eugene Yapp the secretary-general of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) representing mainly churches not affiliated with the established Catholic and Protestant churches, said Muslim religious authorities had no jurisdiction with respect to non-Muslims.
“Christians therefore have the right to deny entry to any religious department officer who requests entry into a meeting at a house, church premise, or any private property used for Christian worship and activities.
“Should Jais officers or any religious officers accompanied by the police insist on entering your premises, non-Muslims must ensure their identification as authorized officers; and they produce a search warrant before obliging entry into your premises for a search. The validity of their actions can subsequently be challenged through legal recourse,” said Yapp in the advisory.
On Thursday the Selangor religious authorities carried out a raid on the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM), seizing copies of both the Malay-language and Iban bibles that contain the word “Allah”, while two BSM officials were also held by police.
Separately, a coalition of Malay-Muslim groups also announced that a rally will be held at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Klang this Sunday morning over the insistence of Christians in the state to use the word ‘Allah’.
Tensions flared after Jais announced plans to clamp down on churches in the state that used the Arabic word in their worship, even as the so-called “Allah” row remains unresolved four years after it shocked the nation and led to the worst religious strife in the country’s history.
The Court of Appeal in October ruled that the Arabic word was exclusive to Muslims, most of whom are ethnic Malays,.
That ruling overturned a court decision that allowed a Roman Catholic newspaper printed in Malay, the country’s national language, to use Allah.
The change has heightened concern that religious authorities, which issue rulings for Muslims and operate alongside civil courts, now have more legal muscle.
The NECF advisory pointed out that church leaders should subsequently allow a raid without a warrant if forced entry is used.
“If there is no warrant and forced entry is used, allow this to proceed with consideration for the personal safety of your staff/church members present. But do video record the entry and keep the recording as evidence.”
NECF member churches were also advised to stay calm in the event of any protest by Muslim groups, as well as record such demonstrations.
Yesterday the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), which represents virtually all of the churches nationwide, also dubbed the controversial enforcement action by Jais as abusive and an act of discrimination against Christians.
“This unconscionable conduct on the part of Jais and the federal police is not just an authoritarian abuse of power and an act of harassment against Christians in Malaysia,” it said.
Temperatures have risen of late over the so-called “Allah” row that remains unresolved four years after it shocked the nation and led to the worst religious strife in the country’s history.
The ongoing legal dispute between the government and the Catholic Church over its right to print the word “Allah” in the Herald’s Bahasa Malaysia section is still pending before the Federal Court, which is set to hear arguments from both sides on February 24 before deciding on whether it will hear an appeal by the Catholic Church.
Christians make up about 10 per cent of the Malaysian population, or 2.6 million. Almost two-thirds of them are Bumiputera and are largely based in Sabah and Sarawak, where they routinely use Bahasa Malaysia and indigenous languages in their religious practices, including describing God as “Allah” in their prayers and holy book.
・Disclaimer: WWRN does not endorse or adhere to views or opinions expressed in the articles posted. This is purely an information site, to inform interested parties of religious trends.
3. Christian Today (http://au.christiantoday.com)
Islamic authorities’ raid on Malaysian Bible Society questioned by state government, 6 January 2014
by World Watch Monitor
The ruling that the use of the word ‘Allah’ for God is banned for non-Muslims in Malaysia hit global headlines in Oct. 2013. As 2014 starts, the latest development in the continuing row has triggered more furious debate in Malaysia.
On January 2, in the richest and most populous state of Selangor, near the capital Kuala Lumpur, over 20 officers, four from the top Islamic authority, the Islamic Religious Department (JAIS), together with the police, raided the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM). Despite the lack of a search warrant, more than 330 copies of Bibles in Malay and Iban languages were confiscated.
The BSM President Rev. Lee Min Choon and its office manager Sinclair Wong were immediately taken to the local police station and released on bail two hours later. They are expected to see JAIS officers on January 10 to discuss the matter.
Reuters reports that it was the first time Islamic authorities have entered premises belonging to a Christian organisation to carry out a raid.
In its official statement, BSM said that it was “deeply shocked that JAIS, whose legal powers are limited to policing Muslims, are now exercising powers over non-Muslims. BSM is of the view that this action contravenes a host of legal provisions, including that of the Federal Constitution. This is a sad day heralding the erosion of minority rights. BSM also calls upon the Christian community to remain calm and to display their best Christian character and virtues of love and forgiveness in this situation”.
Malaysia Today reports that in the aftermath, the minister for Islamic Affairs in Selangor’s state government (which is ruled by the opposition to the main national ruling coalition party, UMNO) said JAIS officers involved in the raid were summoned to provide an explanation of their actions.
The minister, Sallehin Mukhyi, said JAIS’s actions were carried out without consultation with the state executive council. “This is not a small issue. It affects the rights of people of other faiths, so we have to be careful in these matters,” he said.
The ‘Allah’ controversy
The raid came against the background of a call by UMNO for a protest outside all churches in Selangor State on January 5 unless the editor of the Catholic Herald apologises for insisting on his religion’s use of ‘Allah’. He has been given a deadline of January 4 to withdraw his remarks.
Since the October 2013 Court ruling, heated debate has continued over the legal right of Christians (and others) to use the word ‘Allah’, the Arabic term for God, in the Bible, other printed materials, and worship services. A week before the raid, the newly appointed director of the Selangor JAIS, Ahmad Zaharin Mohamed Saad, had demanded that local churches comply with the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions Enactment of 1988, which bans non-Muslims from using 35 Arabic words.
Saad’s instruction had been countered by the editor of Catholic newspaper, The Herald, who said that Catholic churches would persist on using the word ‘Allah’ in their weekend services. UMNO groups responded by threatening to hold protests.
The dispute began in 2006 when The Herald weekly was banned by the Home Ministry from using the word. The Catholic Church contested the rule and won back their constitutional right in 2009, only to lose it again after the Court of Appeal overturned the decision in October 2013. The prohibition, nevertheless, was limited to printed publications and seizure of religious materials containing the word ‘Allah’. It is still not completely clear whether verbal use, including in worship services, is affected by the ruling.
The Bible Society of Malaysia says that JAIS breached the 10-Points Solution jointly crafted by the Federal Government and the Christian community in March 2011: the agreement allows Bibles in all languages to be imported into or printed in the country, as well as to be transported freely between East and West Malaysia.
“BSM calls upon the Government to uphold its part of the agreement and resolve this delicate issue of the BM (Bahasa Malay) Bible with JAIS,” it demanded after the arrests.
Malaysia Today reported that some militant Islamist groups in Selangor supported the raid, such as in Klang, a fast-developing town in Selangor State. After the raid, it reported that the Klang Muslims Solidarity Secretariat, a coalition of Malay-Muslim groups, urged JAIS to conduct more raids and Bible seizures. The Secretariat revealed a plan to hold a rally at the Catholic Church of Our Lady Lourdes in Klang on the morning of January 5 to protest against the Christians’ insistence in using the term ‘Allah’.
Church leaders concerned
As tension rose, church leaders in the region shared their views, concerns, and forecasts for the year with World Watch Monitor.
“JAIS has acted beyond its authority and overstepped the religious rights of non-Muslims. There is no more freedom under the Federal Constitution. We feel it’s not right for anyone or any religious group to tell us how we should worship and practice our faith,” said one pastor, who preferred to remain anonymous. “Persecution has started in Malaysia.”
Another pastor, whose church mostly consists of Muslim converts to Christianity, said: “We had decided even before this that it would be business as usual for us as a church. We will continue to use the word ‘Allah’ in worship.” When asked to predict what 2014 would bring, he answered: “We can expect more extreme acts of intimidation. Whether it will come to actual physical persecution and bloodshed, it’s hard to tell.”
Many church leaders affirmed that the raid has resulted in heightened fear and a sense of insecurity and powerlessness for Christians in the country. Some leaders also foresaw the possibility of Bible shortages in the native language of Malay. “Not only that, underground churches will be further ostracised and left to fend themselves,” added one of them.
Another church leader said: “We already know that there may be a price for the Malaysian church to pay before there can be a breakthrough in our nation. What, how, and when? Only the Lord knows.”
According to the 2010 Malaysian government census, Christians make up about 9.2 percent of Malaysia's population. The majority of them live in East Malaysia, concentrated in the states of Sabah and Sarawak. The BSM Bibles confiscated on Jan. 2 would have been shipped to there for the benefit of Christian churches and communities.
However, many Christians have moved to Peninsular Malaysia (which has 80% of the country’s population, of which only 3% is Christian) in recent years for work.
(End)
