Word Allah
Kadayan Journal
Let me share my experience with a group of people who are not permitted to use word Allah in their book of prayer or prayer book.
Until a few days ago it has been a yo-yo kind of decision by the Home Minister with regard to the law on the issue. Now law is back to square one, from allowing with condition to not allowing at all until court decides otherwise.
I’m not arguing about the legality of it since the case is pending for judicial review, I’m merely talking about the people, who among them, I knew for a long time now.
The people that I’m talking about are the Lundayeh from Sabah, and the Lunbawang from Sarawak; the two are actually of the same ethnic, but called in two different names in these two different regions. I don’t mention other ethnics here, which share the same predicament.
The Lundayeh, aren’t permitted to use word Allah in their prayer book because they are Christian, if they are allowed to use word Allah it’s going to confuse the Muslims. That’s the version of the reason given by the Home Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Syed Hamid Albar
The Lundayeh people are the followers of Sidang Injil Borneo-SIB, a relatively new group who professed a Christian religion in Sabah and Sarawak, started by Evangelical Mission, earlier called The Borneo Evangelical Mission-BEM.
