Existential angst in objection to ‘Allah’ use
We understand the misgivings that Muslims have over the use of ‘Allah’ in the Bahasa Malaysia section of the Catholic Herald weekly newsletter. They have expressed their legitimate concern that the Christian Trinitarian concept of Father, Son and Holy Ghost may be confused with tauhid – the oneness of God in Islam.
By Centre for Policy Initiatives
In response, the Malaysian Catholic Church has clarified that ‘Allah’ is used to refer to God the Father. (Also see box, The name of ‘Allah’)
The name of ‘Allah’Research committee of IslamToday The Qur’ân uses the name Allah consistently when referring to the message of all of the prophets and to the various beliefs of all of the people. We have the Christian doctrine of the trinity conveyed in the following verse: “They surely disbelieve who say: ‘Lo! Allah is the third of three’ when there is no god but the One Allah. If they desist not from so saying a painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve.” [Research committee of IslamToday The Qur’ân uses the name Allah consistently when referring to the message of all of the prophets and to the various beliefs of all of the people. We have the Christian doctrine of the trinity conveyed in the following verse: “>Sûrah al-Mâ’idah: 73] These verses are in Arabic and use the Arabic name Allah. The fact that the Qur’ân does not shy away from using this word even when it speaks about the falsehood of the people of unbelief shows that the name ‘Allah’ is truly universal, and can be used by anyone to refer to the true Creator of the heavens and the Earth. Islamic workers who try convey the message of Islam to Jews and Christians have been struggling against the widely held belief/idea that the god of the Muslims is some exotic deity other than the one who sent Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them all). [Full citation can be read at www.islamtoday.com] Encyclopædia Britannica Allah. The name’s origin can be traced back to the earliest Semitic writings in which the word for ‘god’ was Il or El, the latter being an Old Testament synonym for Yahweh. Columbia [University Press] Encyclopedia (?l´ ____________________________________________________________ So can 1Malaysia now copyright and legislate on the word ‘Allah’? |
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However, this matter of overlapping terminology between the two monotheistic faiths, both sharing Abrahamic roots and prophetic tradition, should not lead to acrimonious and unjustified attacks.
As we write this, the online version of the Herald appears to be inoperative again, after being hacked twice earlier in the wee hours of the morning. Cybertroopers have disrupted a law-abiding, peaceable Christian web portal to the extent that Google search has tagged Herald with the warning: ‘This site may harm your computer’.
Contrary to the Prime Minister calling for calm and his assurance that cooler heads will prevail, certain quarters in Umno have been ramping up the temperature since the court ruling on the use of the word ‘Allah’ with regard to the Herald publication.
Looking at the rush of disconcerting events flavoured by Ketuanan Melayu, our fear is that, as a result, the fervour instigated by these hardliners following the High Court decision on Dec 31 there might be stirrings of social unrest.
The mass mobilization has already spread to cyberspace.
‘Menentang Penggunaan Allah oleh Golongan Bukan-Islam’ (Against Non-Muslims using the word Allah) is a Facebook group whose chief officer-cum-advisor is Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah. Among its other site administrators are those Umno-accredited, including from Pemuda and Puteri, and Mukhriz Mahathir who mirrors his father’s stand on many issues.
Since its first cyber activity commenced on Friday (Jan 1), the e-group has attracted a surge of 60,000 members banding together for the cause.
Meanwhile, a Muslim grouping calling itself Mapim (Majlis Perunding Pertubuhan-Pertubuhan Islam Malaysia) has launched an online petition against Herald, and hoping to collect one million signatures.
Their memorandum suggesting the option “Tidak setuju sama sekali dan membantah sekeras-kerasnya keputusan tersebut” [Totally disagree and object strenuously to the court decision] is addressed to the Council of Rulers and the Prime Minister.
Other agitation in cyberspace
For Utusan and Awang Selamat’s take, please read Dr Lim Teck Ghee’s ‘Use of the term ‘Allah’: Who is threatening whom?’
Various pro-Umno blogs have begun exploiting the controversy to portray Pakatan Rakyat and other bodies – that have taken a softer and more conciliatory stance – as anti-Islam.
More than a dozen NGOs have lodged police reports against the Herald.
Meanwhile, at the grassroots level, some 250 Umno Youth members in Penang took to the street on Jan 3 shouting “seditious obscenities”, according to it a Malaysian Insider report.
Umno representative Tajuddin Abdul Rahman – who indulges in sexual innuendos and ‘Keling’ name-calling in Parliament and once challenged DAP Parliamentarian M. Kulasegaran to step outside the House for a fistfight – delivered his trademark cutting remarks. The Pasir Salak MP declared: “This is definitely provocation; they are just using all this human rights, religious rights as excuses.”
This type of assertion like Tajuddin’s, coupled with statements by others who label the Herald publishers as “Christian activists” imply that the Catholics had not only been “provocative” but proactive in creating the current stand-off.
Instead, the reverse is closer to reality as the minorities are the ones reacting defensively after having their long-held tradition disturbed. According to Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew, Christian natives in Borneo have been using ‘Allah’ for 400 years.
Yet ex-Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo blogged that the court decision, allowing Herald to continue calling God ‘Allah’, had put back [membelakangkan] the position of Islam in the Constitution. He advised “let it be a lesson”, and Muslims should now realise how this outcome signalled that some among the ummah themselves are “traitors” through their support for [opposition] groups that ultimately cause Islam to weaken.
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