Last week, the Malaysian High Court had issued a ruling that allowed the Catholic Church weekly the Herald to use the word Allah in their Bahasa Malaysia publication in referring to God. The response by the Muslim community in Malaysia is, to nicely put it, disappointing. Not only did the Home Ministry filed an appeal to reinstate the prohibition, but the number and nature of demonstrations following the ruling is disturbing, to say the least, and it revealed the nature of intolerance among the citizens, even in using the name of God.
Let us move to the so-called 'problems' that they brought up with their opposition to the ruling:
1. Issue of sensitivity and fear. The Muslims went out and demonstrated, and showed their anger. Why? Because they fear that the non-Muslims will use the word 'Allah' to propagate their religions to Muslims, who will be confused by such usage. Does this fear have any bases? The obvious answer to that question would be in the negative.
Firstly, the idea of propagation made easier because the court allows the word Allah to be used by people of other faiths does not hold water, especially in Malaysia, where Article 11 (4) in the Federal Constitution already prohibited non-Muslims from proselytizing among Muslims. Especially, when the usage of the word Allah, in this case, is allowed in the Herald, a weekly newspaper only circulated among the Catholic community and not outside it.
Secondly, will Muslims really be confused? The education system in Malaysia compels Muslim students to take Islamic Studies since Standard One, for at least 12 years. Even Islamic schools were allowed to run in this system. These students would be taught the basics of Islam and the Holy Qur'an (with emphasis on the 112th Surah, al-Ikhlas-which affirms the strict monotheism of God) throughout this period. If indeed the demonstrators and detractors of this ruling felt that the entire Muslim community will forget what they have been taught in Islamic studies and schools for twelve years and fall into confusion just because one religion uses the name Allah, then the problem is with the education system, not the ruling.
Let us move to the so-called 'problems' that they brought up with their opposition to the ruling:
1. Issue of sensitivity and fear. The Muslims went out and demonstrated, and showed their anger. Why? Because they fear that the non-Muslims will use the word 'Allah' to propagate their religions to Muslims, who will be confused by such usage. Does this fear have any bases? The obvious answer to that question would be in the negative.
Firstly, the idea of propagation made easier because the court allows the word Allah to be used by people of other faiths does not hold water, especially in Malaysia, where Article 11 (4) in the Federal Constitution already prohibited non-Muslims from proselytizing among Muslims. Especially, when the usage of the word Allah, in this case, is allowed in the Herald, a weekly newspaper only circulated among the Catholic community and not outside it.
Secondly, will Muslims really be confused? The education system in Malaysia compels Muslim students to take Islamic Studies since Standard One, for at least 12 years. Even Islamic schools were allowed to run in this system. These students would be taught the basics of Islam and the Holy Qur'an (with emphasis on the 112th Surah, al-Ikhlas-which affirms the strict monotheism of God) throughout this period. If indeed the demonstrators and detractors of this ruling felt that the entire Muslim community will forget what they have been taught in Islamic studies and schools for twelve years and fall into confusion just because one religion uses the name Allah, then the problem is with the education system, not the ruling.
2. Issue of the sanctity of Allah. The demonstrators asserted that it is impious for people of other faiths to use the name Allah, as it is the exclusive right of Muslims to use that name, and they fear that non-Muslims would misuse it. The question that should be asked is, misused to what end? For they could not provide any link between the word Allah being used by non-Muslim (or Catholics in this case) and the so-called misuse. If anything, the Muslims (I am sorry to say, for I myself am Muslim) are also guilty of misusing the Holy Name of Allah to commit atrocities (such as terrorist organisations like Al-Qaeda and the Taliban regime that oppresses women). If indeed the Muslims argue that they were denounced, then the same could be applied to the non-Muslims that misused the name of God. It is still not a good basis to deny them the use of Allah to refer to God in Bahasa Malaysia.
And we have to look at the effects of such demonstrations. The organisation Badan Anti Inter-faith Council (BADAI) has called upon the Malay rulers and the National Fatwa Council to take action to prohibit the use of such a name. This action, rather than keeping the sanctity of God's Holy Name, actually violates it, for it made His Name subject to the whims of a group of people, a grave blasphemy in any faith. Similarly, the organisation Perkasa (led by Ibrahim Ali) also committed a similar blasphemy when they linked the use of the word Allah to Malay rights, reducing God to an ethnic right.
3. Issue of the non-Muslims having no religious or linguistic right to use the name of God. This is not true. The demonstrators have mistakenly assumed 'Allah' to be the Arabic word for God, and therefore only Muslims have the sole right to use that name in their prayers and religious articles. Not so. It is well known that the Arab Christians use the word Allah when referring to the proper name of God.
And we have to look at the effects of such demonstrations. The organisation Badan Anti Inter-faith Council (BADAI) has called upon the Malay rulers and the National Fatwa Council to take action to prohibit the use of such a name. This action, rather than keeping the sanctity of God's Holy Name, actually violates it, for it made His Name subject to the whims of a group of people, a grave blasphemy in any faith. Similarly, the organisation Perkasa (led by Ibrahim Ali) also committed a similar blasphemy when they linked the use of the word Allah to Malay rights, reducing God to an ethnic right.
3. Issue of the non-Muslims having no religious or linguistic right to use the name of God. This is not true. The demonstrators have mistakenly assumed 'Allah' to be the Arabic word for God, and therefore only Muslims have the sole right to use that name in their prayers and religious articles. Not so. It is well known that the Arab Christians use the word Allah when referring to the proper name of God.
When referring to 'god' as a common noun, then the proper translation should be 'tuhan' in Malay. But here is has been stated that Allah is the proper name of God. So the proper corresponding term to Allah in the Bible is 'the LORD'. Even Professor Dr Hamka, the learned Muslim theologian, used the term god/tuhan and Allah/the LORD in his book 'Pelajaran Agama Islam':
Kitab Keluaran, Fasal 20 (Book of Exodus, Chapter 20):
2. Bahwa Aku-lah Tuhanmu Allah yang telah membawa kamu keluar dari tanah Mesir dari tempat perhambaan itu. (I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.)
3. Janganlah engkau menyembah Tuhan yang lain daripada-Ku (Thou shalt have no other gods before me. )
4. Karena dalam enam hari lamanya dijadikan Allah langit dan bumi dan laut dengan segala sinya, maka berhentilah ia pada hari yang ketujuh. sebab itulah diberkati Allah akan hari perhentian itu serta diquduskannya akan dia. (For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.)
And if one looks at the New Testament, the word Allah is used even by Jesus Christ. In Matthew 27:46, Jesus cried upon the cross 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachtani', Eli being the proper name for God in the Aramaic language, a sister language of Arabic, corresponding to Allah. So it is untrue that Christians have no scriptural basis for using the term Allah to refer to the proper name of God in Bahasa Malaysia.
And if one looks at the New Testament, the word Allah is used even by Jesus Christ. In Matthew 27:46, Jesus cried upon the cross 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachtani', Eli being the proper name for God in the Aramaic language, a sister language of Arabic, corresponding to Allah. So it is untrue that Christians have no scriptural basis for using the term Allah to refer to the proper name of God in Bahasa Malaysia.
It is hoped that cool heads and sanity will prevail, and the Holy Name of God not be misused, or even reserved for a certain group of people.
