1. Malaysian Insider (http://www.themalaysianinsider.com)
Jais wrong as Allah ban only for Herald, not Bibles, say critics, 8 January 2014
by V. Anbalagan, Assistant News Editor
Selangor's religious authorities were wrong to seize Malay and Iban language Bibles and must return them as the ban on using the word Allah is only for the Catholic weekly Herald, say lawyers and politicians.
They said the Bible, be it in any language, was never banned in Malaysia and as such, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) had no right to seize the holy books from The Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) last Thursday as the Allah issue only centred on the Herald case.
Human rights lawyer Andrew Khoo Chin Hock said the Court of Appeal ruling last October that barred Herald from using the word Allah had included Bibles in the 10-point solution endorsed by the federal Cabinet in 2011.
"So Jais's raid and seizure has no basis at all because the 10-point solution covers the holy book," Khoo told The Malaysian Insider, referring to the agreement that the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government had made with the Christian community ahead of the Sarawak state election.
The agreement arose after the Herald publishers, the Roman Catholic Church, sued the government for the right to use the word Allah in the Bahasa Malaysia edition.
Another Malaysian had also sought for the return of holy books that contained the word which had been seized by the Home Ministry.
Khoo said the Catholic Church had in August attempted to strike out Putrajaya's appeal on the Herald being allowed to use the word Allah.
"The court dismissed the church's application but in the process, the court declared the 10-point solution covered only Bibles, not newspapers," he said.
He and other critics say the raid at the BSM went against the right to profess and practice one's religion as stated in the Federal Constitution.
Selangor DAP chairman Tony Pua was firm that Jais must return the Bibles without any delay.
"The way the raid was conducted should not be condoned," he told The Malaysian Insider.
Pua, who is also Petaling Jaya Utara MP, said the DAP state committee met on Monday and deliberated over the issue in detail.
"We will relay our position to the state Pakatan Rakyat and hopefully everyone will come to a consensus," he said.
DAP, PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat are the loose coalition administering the Selangor state.
Lawyer Edmund Bon said BSM should take legal action against Jais for illegal entry into its premises.
He pointed out that the Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propogation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988 which Jais relied on, was not applicable here.
"This enactment, which makes an offence relating to the use of Islamic words and expressions, went against the Federal Constitution," he said.
He said the constitution allowed for non-Muslim individuals and groups to profess and practice their religion unhindered.
"How does keeping the Bibles in a premises violate the enactment?" he asked.
He said Christians or the BSM cannot be accused of trying to convert Muslims just because the Bibles were stored in BSM's premises.
Bon also said no court ruling had banned the Bible outright although the Court of Appeal decision only declared that the Home Minister was right to prohibit the use of the word Allah in the Herald.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar also said last October that the ban on the use of the word Allah only applied to the Herald, and not other Christian publications or the Alkitab, the Bahasa Malaysia Bible which is widely used in Sabah and Sarawak.
He said the Cabinet decision to allow the use of Allah in Bahasa Malaysia or native language Bibles in Sabah and Sarawak and the assurance given by Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud on the matter in 2011 still stood.
“Decisions made by the courts are case laws. Even though they become part of the law of the country, they are normally not enforceable.
“That means you can't get the police or other agencies to enforce them. They are not statute laws (laws passed by Parliament),” he had said last year.
On Thursday, Jais raided the BSM and confiscated more than 300 copies of the Alkitab (Bahasa Malaysia bible) and Bup Kudus (Iban bible) and detained its president and the office manager for questioning.
The two are scheduled to meet Jais officials on Friday.
The raid was carried out after Herald editor Reverend Father Lawrence Andrew had said that the word Allah will continue to be used in churches in Selangor.
Yesterday, Andrew was questioned by the police under the Sedition Act for that statement which allegedly went against a decree issued by the Sultan of Selangor who had said that Allah cannot be used by non-Muslims in Selangor. – January 8, 2014.
2. Free Malaysia (http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com)
Much ado about Allah, 7 January 2014
From James Ang, via e-mail
When the Moghul Emperor Akbar conquered the Hindu holy city of Prayag in northern India, he recognised the tremendous potential the city possessed, both as a strategic military bastion and a navigational post. Near the confluence between the Yamuna and Ganges Rivers, two holy rivers venerated in Hindu literature, Emperor Akbar constructed his renowned fort and subsequently renamed the city ‘Allahabad’.
Many probably would have heard of ‘abad’ cities throughout India and Pakistan, such as Hyderabad, Ahmadabad and Islamabad. So, it wouldn’t take a learned historian to deduce the fact that the name ‘Allahabad’ comprises two words: ‘Allah’ and ‘abad’. ‘Abad’ basically means ‘abode’ or ‘city;’ in Persian, and since we all know what ‘Allah’ means, we can all safely say that ‘Allahabad; means ‘City of God’.
Rightfully so, since Allahabad is sacred to Hindus, and the Muslim Emperor Akbar desired it to be a holy and strategic city in his Islamic empire. Today, Allahabad is the official name of the city, and everyone knows it by that name.
Since time immemorial, the word Allah has been in usage to refer to a supreme deity in the Arabic language. Literary and historic evidence from the Arabian Peninsula can bear testimony to that. The word has been in usage even before the birth of Prophet Muhammad and the spread of Islam in the Middle East. Even with the propagation of Islam, the word Allah was still in common usage among non-Muslim Arabs to refer to the supreme deity they believed in according to their faiths.
Allah to the Arab Jews was the Almighty Yahweh. Allah to the Arab Christians was the Almighty Yahweh, God the Father of the Trinity. Allah to the Arab pagans was the single most supreme deity in their beliefs. And Allah to the Arab Muslims was God Almighty, who “neither begets nor is begotten” (Surah Al-Ikhlas 112:3). Did the Prophet or his followers bar non-Muslim Arabs from using the word Allah just because it may confuse the new Muslims?
These are examples of usages of the word Allah in other countries throughout history.
Fast forward to today. The Malay/Indonesian language consists of many words borrowed from foreign languages – words which have been naturalized into the local language. Words like Allah (God), nabi (prophet), kudus (holy), malaikat (angel) and wahyu (revelation) are several examples of Arabic words naturalised into the Malay/Indonesian language as a result of Islamic influence. It is worth noting that translations of the Bible into languages of the world attempt to utilise words and expressions which are native in the target language, in order to assimilate the Word of God with the local culture and context as much as possible.
Taking the Chinese Bible for example, the term ‘Shang Di’ (上帝) was originally used to refer to a single supreme deity in traditional Chinese religion, but Bible translators over the centuries adopted this term to refer to the Supreme God in Christianity because of its intrinsic meaning in the Chinese cultural context.
Having said that, terms like Allah (God), Roh Kudus (Holy Spirit), malaikat (angel), syaitan (devil) and nabi (prophet) have been in use in the Malay/Indonesian Bible for centuries long. Names of biblical books, such as Zabur (Psalms) (sometimes known as Mazmur), Injil (Gospel) and Wahyu (Revelation) have been part of the Malay/Indonesian Bible since they were first translated.
Names of biblical prophets and figures in the Malay/Indonesian Bible, such as Ayub (Job), Musa (Moses), Harun (Aaron), Yunus (Jonah), Yusuf (Joseph) and Nuh (Noah) also have their equivalent usages in the Quran. They have become ingrained in the Indonesian/East Malaysian Christian culture. And culture is the soul of a community – ripping a community of its culture is akin to ripping it of its soul.
My question is this: Using Selangor Umno, Perkasa and Jais’ logic that the term Allah in the Bible will cause confusion among Muslims in the country, then will using the names Ayub, Musa, Harun, Yunus, Yusuf and Nuh in the Malay Bible also cause confusion? Will Muslims be confused between the ‘Nabi Yunus’ of the Malay Bible and the ‘Nabi Yunus’ of the Quran? Will Muslims be confused between the ‘Wahyu’ (Book of Revelation) in the Bible and the ‘wahyu’ (revelation) handed down to Prophet Muhammad?
Will Muslims start thinking that the ‘Roh Kudus’ (Holy Spirit) is the Spirit of God Almighty, a part of the Holy Trinity as expounded in Christianity, rather than the angel Gabriel as identified in Islamic hadiths? Unless, of course, they are implying that Muslims are going to be forced to study Christianity or read the Bible, which isn’t the case.
If they are worth their salt, then they should ban all those words and names as well, in accordance with their logic. The Selangor state enactment apparently has done so to a certain extent. If that is the case, then what words are there left to be used in the Malay Bible? Are there equivalents for the words ‘nabi’ or ‘wahyu’ in the Malay language?
Furthermore, if Selangor Umno, Perkasa and Jais are true custodians of Islam as they claim to be, then they should walk the talk. They should begin by pressuring the Indian government to change the name of Allahabad. People should not be permitted to refer to Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi’s birthplace as Allahabad, since they were Hindus. The Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament’s lower house) constituency of Allahabad should be renamed, since its members consist predominantly of Hindus.
Next, they should write to Islamic scholars worldwide, tell them they are wrong, and pressure them to reverse their stand on the issue. They should also lobby for the Arabic and Indonesian Bibles to be re-translated and reprinted, since they all contain the word Allah as well. They should then confiscate the Guru Granth Sahib Ji from all Sikh temples nationwide, and make a visit to Amritsar to get the word Allah removed from the Sikh holy book.
Lastly, they should get all state governments in Malaysia to rewrite their state anthems, removing the word Allah so that non-Muslims can sing them. Only then can Selangor Umno, Perkasa and Jais be respected for standing true to their logic and beliefs. Nonetheless, doesn’t their logic seem flawed and ridiculous?
There have been so many unreasonable heads making unreasonable stands in this Allah fiasco. All I ask is that Malaysians, regardless of religious affiliation, see reason in this matter. After all, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Gospel of Matthew 5:9).
“And do not argue with the People of the Scripture except in a way that is best, except for those who commit injustice among them, and say, ‘We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you. And our God and your God is one; and we are Muslims in submission to Him.’ ” (Surah Al-Ankabut 29:46).
3. WorldWide Religious News（http://wwrn.org）
Sarawak state leader calls for calm after Bible seizure
("UPI," January 7, 2014)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - A senior government leader of Malaysia's mainly Christian state Sarawak has appealed for calm after mainland police seized Bibles.
Daud Abdul Rahman, assistant minister in the Chief Minister's Office for Islamic Affairs, said the Sarawak state government won't be seizing Bibles, The Borneo Post reported.
"I can assure you that the government will not seize Bibles in the state because we really appreciate the spirit of tolerance," he said.
"Christians in the state have been using Bibles for more than a century and the government has never seized them," Daud told The Post in the state capital Kuching.
Of all Malaysia's 13 states, only in Sarawak, on the island of Borneo, are Christians the largest religious group.
They make up around 44 percent, of the Sarawak's 2.4 million population and Muslims account for 30 percent. Buddhists are nearly 14 percent of the population and Chinese ethnic religions make up 6 percent.
Daud's comments come after a Selangor state religious department raided the offices of the Bible Society of Malaysia in the township of Damansara Jan. 2 and confiscated about 340 Bibles that used the word "Allah" for "God."
The seized materials comprised 310 copies of Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia, or Al-Kitab, 20 copies in the Iban language, also known as Bup Kudus, and 20 copies of Luke's Gospel in Bahasa Malaysia.
Daud also called on Sarawak's politicians not to use the Bible seizure for political gain, The Post reported.
"We don't want what is happening there [peninsular Malaysia] to spread to the state. What is happening there doesn't involve the state Sarawak government."
Selangor, which surrounds the federal capital district of Kuala Lumpur, is Malaysia's richest and most populous state.
The 2010 census shows Christians make up about 4 percent of the Selangor's 5.4 million people. Muslims account for 60 percent, Buddhists 25 percent and Hindus make up just under 12 percent.
Police officers accompanying the raid by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department, JAIS, arrested bible society President Lee Min Choon and two other officials.
They were detained briefly for violating a 1988 state law that prohibits non-Muslims from using the word "Allah" and 34 other Arabic words and phrases, the Malay Daily Online reported. .
A statement from the society, which prints and distributes Bibles, called on Christians in Selangor "to remain calm and to display their best Christian character and virtues of love and forgiveness in this situation."
Confiscation of the Bibles has caused embarrassment for the Selangor state government, whose leaders have demanded an explanation from JAIS, The Star Online reported.
Selangor State Executive Councillor for Islamic Affairs, Sallehin Mukyi, said JAIS has said only it forgot to inform him of the raid ahead of time.
"JAIS also claimed that it conducted the raid after it felt there was a breach in the 1988 enactment, which touches on the use of the word Allah."
Sallehin said his department needed to listen to both sides -- JAIS and the society -- before reporting to the Mentri Besar, chief executive of the state government.
・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.
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