1. WorldWide Religious News (http://wwrn.org)
Malaysia’s ‘Allah’ impasse
by Matt K. George ("World Watch Monitor," January 24, 2014)
“God, what is your religion?” This cryptic question, spotted on a T-shirt at a packed public meeting on religious freedom in the Malaysian city of Petaling Jaya last week, sums up the enormity of Malaysia’s ‘Allah’ controversy.
The wearer was a Malay Muslim woman, according to The Malaysian Insider, demonstrating solidarity with the minority Christian population as tensions rise in the country over who can use the term ‘Allah’.
The controversy – for which many Malaysian Christians blame the Government – has now reached a serious impasse.
The Christian community remains adamant that the use of ‘Allah’ is their right, despite a ruling by the Court of Appeal last October that ‘Allah’ was exclusive to Malay Muslims. The word predates the birth of Islam and the ruling has been widely criticised by many other Muslim nations, and by the United Nations.
About 64 per cent of Malaysia’s Christians come from the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak, where the term has been part of their vocabulary for more than 100 years. The indigenous populations of the two states, whose primary language is Bahasa Malay, claim the usage is their constitutional and spiritual right. The Malay Bible dates back to the 16th century and, as the government phases out English in favour of Bahasa Malay, more and more Christians observe their faith in Bahasa Malay.
“All the churches are of one mind,” said Rev. Dr Hermen Shastri, the general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia. “We are only defending our freedom to practise our religion as guaranteed under the Constitution.”
Nevertheless, Islamic conservatives have staged demonstrations outside churches, seized Bibles and continued to vilify the Catholic pastor, Rev. Lawrence Andrew, who took the issue to the courts.
In early January Andrew was questioned over charges of sedition, which drew international complaints, including a piece in The Wall Street Journal.
Following the raid on the Bible Society of Malaysia two weeks ago and the seizure of more than 300 Bibles in the Malay language, the Islamic Religious Department of the state of Selangor (JAIS) posted an advertisement in The Star, an English language newspaper, defending its actions.
The National Fatwa Council, comprising the muftis, or Islamic scholars, of the states of Malaysia, publicly backed JAIS’s swoop in which they also arrested two officials of the Bible Society.
These actions, in a country once renowned for multiracial harmony, go against the grain of a 10-point plan pronounced by the Government of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in April 2011 to resolve the issue. The key element of the pledge emphasised that Christians are allowed to print, import and distribute Bibles, referred to as the ‘Alkitab’ (‘The Book’) in the Malay language.
The Prime Minister has so far refrained from defending his policy, while churches have asked him to speak out and to rein in Islamic extremists.
But many Christians say they fear Prime Minister Najib cannot be seen to capitulate on Christian usage of ‘Allah’, since it would give ammunition to his political enemies in his ruling United Malays National Organisation party (UMNO), who could seek to oust him from office.
Since the party brands itself as the champion of Malay Muslim supremacy and the defender of Islam, it provides tacit support to JAIS and Muslim extremists within UMNO.
The Prime Minister’s ambivalence is unhelpful, according to Rev. Shastri, who said: “The Government should remain consistent. It is the same Government that came out with the 10-point plan. It should also defend the Constitution.”
The Methodist priest has called on Christian ministers in Government, such as Idris Jala, who was a key architect of the 10-point plan, to impress upon the Prime Minister the need to protect religious freedoms.
The ‘Allah’ controversy began in 2007 when the Government banned The Herald, a Catholic weekly, from using the word. The Catholic Church contested the order and the High Court restored its constitutional right in 2009. The Government appealed that decision and in October 2013 a three-man Court of Appeal ruled that Malay Muslims had an exclusive copyright to the word ‘Allah’. Legal experts say the court’s decision is flawed and that its ruling, if ratified, should only apply to The Herald and not to other Christian literature, such as the Alkitab, or in liturgy.
The Catholic Church has now filed an application for leave to appeal to the Federal Court, the highest legal authority in the land. Liberal Malaysians hope an enlarged bench of 13 judges, including the Chief Judge of the Borneo states, would adjudicate on the issue. The hearing is scheduled for March 5.
Whether any court decision will appease the rival sides is debatable. “Nothing is changing,” said Bolly Lapok, Bishop of Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, and Archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Province of South-East Asia. “We won’t stop using the word ‘Allah’.”
The right to freedom of worship was enshrined when Sarawak and Sabah joined Malaysia in 1963. Christian and political leaders in the two states have threatened to break away from the Malaysian union if the Government forces their hand on the ‘Allah’ issue.
Most Malaysians are against such an outcome. Given the lack of political will to end the deepening rift, an alternative suggestion was to invite the Rulers’ Council, comprising the nine hereditary Sultans, to convene and rule on the issue.
The Ruler of the state of Negri Sembilan last week urged Malay Muslims to respect other religions and to live in harmony, regardless of race.
The Muslim Chief Minister of Sarawak, Taib Mahmud, is on record as saying that the use of ‘Allah’ is not a problem in the state and blames the central government for inciting intolerance and racism.
Political observers say that religious insecurities are being whipped up to defer attention away from the Government’s economic and political difficulties. The Government was recently forced to cut back on decades of subsidised petrol and sugar prices as the national debt has reached unsustainable levels. The inevitable rise in the cost of living has fuelled public anger and protests. The scheduled introduction of a Government Services Tax in April 2014 is set to further escalate the cost of goods. Public corruption, scandals, the lavish lifestyle of ministers and cohorts, and a lack of accountability have all severely damaged the Government’s record and the economy in a resource-rich nation.
In this volatile mix of rising prices and protests, on top of the ‘Allah’ controversy, Christians are concerned. The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), in a statement last week, observed: “What we are witnessing is the mad scramble by any and every group to grab media attention… [but] the Christian community remains undaunted in the face of these and no doubt future incidents of this nature.”
Rev. Dr Eu Hong Seng, chairman of the CFM, added: “We look to the courts of this land to protect, preserve and defend principles of our Federal Constitution.”
Christians meanwhile have taken succour from progressive Muslim groups such as Sisters of Islam, which rallied to their support, distributing flowers outside a church where Islamists had planned to protest. For this act of solidarity, conservative Islamists demanded their arrests.
Other Muslim protagonists, such as Azmi Sharom, an outspoken law lecturer, point out that nowhere in the Qur’an does it say that ‘Allah’ is exclusive to Muslims. “Is [Islam] a religion that is so small in its worldview that it can approve of one community claiming the term for God for itself? Is Islam so lacking in common decency and compassion?” he said.
Meanwhile, the former Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim blogged: “The unwillingness of UMNO leaders to find a peaceful solution to the ‘Allah’ issue is a clear sign of the march towards authoritarian rule. Invoking the name of God is just a ruse to gain support for a new dictatorship.”
The wearer of the T-shirt posed a fundamental question. The ball is now in the court of the Malaysian Government to openly demonstrate that it subscribes to the ethos of its own Constitution, its own 10-point resolution, and that it will uphold freedom of religion for all.
・ 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.
2.Malaysian Insider (http://www.themalaysianinsider.com)
Christians have ulterior motive for wanting to use the word ‘Allah’, says Dr Mahathir, 24 January 2014
by V. Anbalagan, Assistant News Editor
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today insisted that "Allah" was exclusive to Muslims and attempts to introduce the word in the peninsula by certain quarters were for their own agenda.
The former prime minister said the word was never used by Christians before the coming of Islam some 1,400 years ago.
"It was never used in Bibles, be it in any language," he said at a news conference after delivering a talk at Pusat Islam today.
Dr Mahathir also said the word was used by certain parties to convert Muslims into Christianity.
His comments come a day after Sports and Youth Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said Putrajaya wanted to "bring down the temperature" on the “Allah” debate and the cabinet has upheld the 10-point solution signed in 2011 with Christian leaders allowing the use of the Malay-language Alkitab nationwide.
Dr Mahathir said Muslims never had problems with Christians in this country for a long time and questioned why the issue was being raised now if not for an ulterior motive.
Dr Mahathir, who helmed the nation between 1981 and 2003, said, in the past, his administration allowed the use of the word “Allah” among Christians in Sabah and Sarawak who used Bahasa Malaysia.
"But they don't need to do so in the peninsula because Bahasa Malaysia is not in use daily by Christians here. All those who use Bahasa Malaysia are Muslims," he said.
He questioned their motive for insisting on use the word “Allah” in the peninsula.
Dr Mahathir said the government should take steps to revert to the previous decision to limit the use of the word “Allah” among Chrisitians in Sabah and Sarawak.
He said before Merdeka, the British were prohibited from propogating the religion among Muslims.
"There was no friction betwen the followers of Islam and Christianity but there is an attempt now.
“Is this to create resentment or tension in our society?"
Putrajaya has kept mum over the issue as religious tension escalates over the use of the word “Allah” by Bahasa Malaysia-speaking non-Muslims in sermons and publications.
Khairy said the cabinet had discussed the “Allah” issue at its Wednesday meeting.
However, he said Putrajaya left it to the Selangor government to deal with the raid by Jais (Selangor State Religious Department) on the Bible Society of Malaysia's premises earlier this month.
In that raid, the religious department seized more than 300 copies of Malay and Iban Bibles which were meant for distribution mostly in Sabah and Sarawak.
He said the raid was undertaken by a state religious authority and the 10- point solution could not supersede state law.
The Sultan of Selangor had renewed the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation among Muslims) Enactment 1988 in November 2013 which forbids non-Muslims from using 35 Arabic words, including "Allah".
Dr Mahathir said the opposition were aggresive now because they feel the current government was weak compared with 2008.
"Barisan Nasional was returned to power with a reduced majority and so the opposition has become bolder.”
Dr Mahathir said this in response to opposition supporters who had tarnished the image of Putrajaya by protesting in front of the Japanese embassy after opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was prevented from entering Japan last week.
He also said a suggestion to restrict the sale of RON95 petrol would be an uphill task because of the difficulty involved in determining who was qualified to buy subsidised fuel.
Yesterday, The Star newspaper reported Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor as saying that Putrajaya was in the process of devising a scheme to restrict the sales of the subsidised fuel to the poor. – January 24, 2014.
3. Malaysiakini(http://beta.malaysiakini.com)
(1) Anwar blamed for 'rising Christian threat'23 January 2014
The alleged threat of Christian evangelism that is "increasingly brazen" is the fault of the liberal influence brought in by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, an Islamic lobby group says.
"The liberal influence that has been brought by Anwar and his Pakatan clan has made Christian evangelism increasingly brazen (semakin kurang ajar).
"They are increasingly daring to challenge the position of Islam, the decrees of the sultan, the laws and the constitution blatantly," Isma president Ustaz said in a statement today.
He was referring to Pakatan's offer to BN to sit together to discuss the issue of rising racial and religious tensions in the face of groups in Penang that last week threatened a repeat of the May 13, 1969 riots.
Last weekend Malay groups held two rallies against the onslaught of jokes on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's now internationally infamous kangkung remark, which has culminated in a flash mob by PKR assemblyperson Lee Khai Loon.
Despite the flash mob being a PKR effort, DAP has been the main target of the protests by Umno and its allies, during which the threat of another May 13 taking place was bandied.
Abdullah Zaik said the incidents did not reflect racial tension, but merely the audacity (kebiadaban) of the "young evangelists groups" in the DAP.
"What's more, (Anwar's) offer of liberalism, freedom and equality has made them (DAP) greedy and they have forgotten their place," he said.
He warned that Pakatan's call to BN was "a pretence" and that Anwar should best work to cull the "insolence of the Christian evangelists" instead.
"Since youth, I have never seen the non-Muslims or non-Malays insult the Malays, its leaders and insult Islam as what they are doing today, especially since the 2008 general election," Abdullah Zaik added.
He said this in reference to what has come to be known as the ‘2008 political tsunami’, where the opposition won an unprecedented five states and an almost clean sweep of the seats in the capital city during that general election.
(2) Abim asks Sinar Harian to cancel debate on 'Allah' 24 January 2014
The Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) is appealling to Malay-language daily Sinar Harian to call off its debate on the ‘Allah’ issue, as it says such debates will not solve anything.
Abim secretary-general Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz said the issue was too complicated as it is deep-rooted in theology and can touch on the sensitivities of the people.
“As such, Abim feels the debate involving two political figures will not bring about any solution, but instead, will only worsen the situation as the issue, which is originally theological in nature, is dragged into more sensitive matters involving the law and the royal institution,” he said in a statement today.
4.Malay Mail Online (http://www.themalaymailonline.com)
After PM’s call for truce, Putrajaya urged to drop ‘Allah’ case, 25 December 2013
by Melissa
Archbishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam, speaking at the Christian Federation of Malaysia's Christmas open house in Kuala Lumpur, December 25, 2013. — Picture by Choo Choy MayKUALA LUMPUR, Dec 25 — In a rare moment of frustration today, Archbishop Emeritus Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to cement his own call for an end to Muslim-Christian hostility by withdrawing Putrajaya’s legal challenge against the Catholic Church’s use of “Allah”.
The recently retired Archbishop and now administrator of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur was responding to the prime minister’s earlier speech at the National Christmas Open House in George Town, Penang in which the latter called for followers of the two faiths to set aside their differences and instead seek common ground.
“[Najib] should stop it,” Pakiam said today, noting that today’s speech differed from Najib’s previous remarks at the Umno general assembly earlier this month.
“Even as the whole world talks and laughs about the Allah issue, that Malaysia condemns or does not allow [Christians to use, he said] ‘We will defend it in the exclusivity of its use’.”
“I am praying that Allah will enlighten him... to be a statesman, above party politics or this group or that group,” Pakiam told reporters at the Christians Federation of Malaysia (CFM) Christmas Hi-Tea here today.
Speaking at the National Christmas Open House celebration in Penang today, Najib warned that continued conflict over the Arabic word for god may irreparably harm ties between Christians and Muslims.
He also added that he was not interested in winning a legal argument but was concerned on pursuing harmony, peace and stability for the country.
During the Umno AGM early this month, however, party president Najib had reiterated its firm stand to defend Muslims’ exclusivity over “Allah”.
Today, Pakiam also said that Najib was adding to the confusion by saying “Allah” can only be used in Sabah and Sarawak, but banned here in the peninsula.
“But still, he is the prime minister, so I have to pray, God, please help him to see his mission, his duty for the whole country, not for just Umno, ,” he said.
The tussle over “Allah” arose in 2008 when Catholic newspaper The Herald was barred by the Home Ministry from using the Arabic word. The Catholic Church had contested this in court and won a High Court decision in 2009 upholding its constitutional right to do so.
Putrajaya later appealed the decision and successfully overturned the earlier decision when the Court of Appeal ruled this October that “Allah” was not integral to the Christian faith.
The ruling has since sparked confusion over the use of the word by Christians in their worship, especially with conflicting opinions within the government itself on how far the ruling would affect practising Christians.
Since the ruling, churches in Sabah and Sarawak have become more vocal in pressing for their right to use the term that they say is entrenched in the 20- and 18-point agreements with the two states, insisting they will continue their age-old practice of referring to God as “Allah” in their worship and in their holy scriptures.
The Catholic Church has since appealed to the country’s top court this week for clarity on the religious row that has drawn deep lines between Malaysia’s non-Muslim minorities and its 60 per cent Muslim population.
5. Projek Dialog(http://www.projekdialog.com)
Kalimah Allah: Satu sudut pandang Kristian Sarawak, 27 October 2013
by Calvin Ohsey
Balik-balik isu kalimah ‘Allah’ digembar-gemburkan. Hari ini sudah dilaporkan bahawa dua ribu naskhah Herald di rampas di lapangan terbang Kota Kinabalu. Ini nyata melanggar janji-janji bahawa kononya hak-hak rakyat Kristian di Borneo tidak akan diganggu.
Penjelasan konteks
Sememangnya dalam kemelut isu ini terdapat banyak salah faham mengenai keadaan demografik dan budaya masyarakat Kristian Malaysia, terumatanya di Borneo.
Disini saya ingin mengambil kesempatan untuk memberi sedikit penjelasan:
Umum diketahui, dianggarkan lebih 40 etnik di Sarawak dan 32 etnik di Sabah yang terdiri dalam pelbagai kelompok bangsa, ras dan kaum. Jika ditanya mengenai demografi penduduk agama Kristian di Kepulauan Borneo, jumlah Bumiputera Kristian di Malaysia Timur adalah 1,448,967 orang daripada jumlah keseluruhan Bumiputera Kristian Malaysia yang terdiri daripada 1,549,193 orang.
Berdasarkan daripada stastistik tersebut, dapat dinyatakan disini kepelbagaian Bumiputera Kristian berbilang kaum dan etnik juga dipengaruhi dengan kawasan geografik dan kepelbagaian mazhab serta aliran agama Kristian itu sendiri yang turut mempunyai latar belakang sejarah yang pelbagai.
Seperti yang diketahui, antara mazhab Kristian yang utama di Malaysia termasuk Roman Katolik, Anglikan, Evangelikal, Baptis, Brethren, gereja berkarisma bebas, Lutheran, Methodis, Presbyterian dan gereja-gereja yang tak ber-denominasi. Tetapi, jika kita perhatikan pada tahap yang lebih lokal di Borneo, demografiknya begitu rumit. Tiada masyarakat Kristian yang “monolitik” yang senang difaham secara pukul rata.
Contohnya di Sarawak, penganut Kristian berbeza mengikut kaum serta mazhabnya. Sebagai contoh umum, kaum Bidayuh kebanyakkannya menganut fahaman Roman Katolik dan Anglikan. Kaum orang Ulu (Kayan, Kelabit, Lun Bawang) majoritinya menganut fahaman Evangelikal.
Kaum Iban menganuti pelbagai mazhab/aliran Kristian. Kaum Melanau di Sarawak dilihat majoritinya Islam juga mempunyai penganut Kristian aliran Katolik.
Begitu juga di Sabah, penganut Kristian dibezakan melalui etnik dan daerah. Contohnya kaum Kadazan-Dusun majoritinya adalah Roman Katolik, kaum Murut pula lebih ke arah evangelikal.
Medium bahasa yang digunakan dalam upacara keagamaan Kristian di Sabah dan Sarawak memang pelbagai: secara umumnya ia termasuk Bahasa Inggeris di samping bahasa ibunda etnik / suku masing-masing dan juga Bahasa Malaysia.
Akan tetapi, Bahasa Malaysia tetap digunakan lebih kerap kerana ianya bertindak sebagai medium yang menyatu padukan pelbagai etnik, kaum dan mazhab Kristian di Borneo apabila berkumpul dalam satu upacara keagamaan.
Membumikan teologi
Memang tidak dapat dinafikan bahawa agama Kristian tidak mempunyai kata nama khas yang khusus untuk merujuk kepada nama tuhan bagi menerangkan konsep Trinitas (Trinity) sebagaimana Yahudi mahupun Islam.
Justeru, kaedah pembumian agama untuk keadaan tempatan (atau dalam istilah Bahasa Inggeris contextualization ataupun indigenization) digunakan untuk menterjemah istilah ‘Elohim’ dan ‘Adonai’ daripada bahasa Ibrani (Yahudi) dalam Perjanjian Lama, dan istilah ‘Kurios’ dan ‘Theos’ daripada bahasa Yunani dalam Perjanjian Baru yang ada pada Alkitab (Bible) mengikut bahasa ibunda dan bahasa setempat.
Pembumian digunakan dalam kajian terjemahan Alkitab berhubung dengan tetapan yang berkaitan dengan budaya masyarakat setempat bagi memahami penggunaan perkataan yang dipinjam daripada Perjanjian Lama bahasa Ibrani dan Perjanjian Baru bahasa Yunani yang merupakan bahasa asal Alkitab.
Keputusan yang tidak adil
Dari sini kita boleh lihat bahawa larangan untuk penggunaan kalimah Allah di konteks Malaysia timur jelas meminggirkan.
Umat Kristian sudah menggunakan kalimah tersebut sekian lama sebelum pembentukan Persekutuan Malaysia. Bahkan dalam bahasa Iban, pencipta juga digelar ‘Allah Taala’ sebelum kedatangan agama Kristian.
Secara mudahnya kita hanya harus merjuk kepada pernyataan berikut dalam 20/18 Perjanjian Malaysia 1963:
Perkara 1: Agama
“Tiada bantahan terhadap Islam sebagai agama kebangsaan Malaysia tetapi Borneo Utara/Sarawak sepatutnya tidak mempunyai agama rasmi. Segala bidang kuasa Malaya yang berkaitan dengan Islam tidak patut dikuatkuasakan di Borneo Utara/Sarawak.”
Dalam ini, kita juga patut sedar bahawa penganut Kristian Bumiputera di Semenajung Malaysia juga terdiri daripada penduduk asal Orang Asli dan penduduk asal Sabah dan Sarawak yang berhijrah ke sana turut menggunakan bahasa ibunda sebagai medium. Adakah adil larangan ini ke atas akhbar Katolik Herald sekiranya petikan Alkitab, upacara sembahyang dan doa itu dipetik dalam bahasa Malaysia di Semenanjung Malaysia?
Keliru?
Dakwaaan penggunaan kalimah ‘Allah’ tersebut akan mengelirukan umat Islam adalah tidak benar kerana akhbar tersebut tidak dijual dan diedarkan di luar lingkungan gereja.
Pihak gereja juga ingin bersifat defensif bagi memastikan terjemahan Alkitab dan bahasa pertuturan upacara keagamaan dalam Bahasa Malaysia terpelihara daripada perubahan. Akhir, gereja juga ingin memelihara kebebasan nurani penganut Kristian Orang Asli, Sabah dan Sarawak agar bebas menggunakan bahasa ibunda dan bahasa Malaysia dalam kehidupan keagamaan mereka.
Dialog untuk pemahaman dan penyelesaian
Pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) berasaskan Islam dan Melayu, JAKIM, majlis agama Islam negeri-negeri, mufti-mufti, ahli politik dan kerajaan Persekutuan seharusnya bertindak rasional dalam mengendalikan isu ini agar ianya tidak menjadi satu barah berlanjutan yang akan merosakkan perpaduan antara kaum dan agama.
Penjelasan, pengajaran dan dialog adalah jalan terbaik memahami persamaan dan perbezaan antara agama.
Akhir kalam, ayuhlah rakyat Malaysia tinggalkan pemikiran jumud dan dangkal mengenai isu ini. Sama-samalah menghayati pegangan agama masing-masing dan hormatilah pegangan agama lain selaras dengan prinsip kebebasan beragama. Sehubungan dengan itu, kita dapat membaiki perpaduan dan kestabilan negara Malaysia ini sebaik mungkin.
(End)
