Let’s go all the way (UPDATED with Chinese Translation)

Umno has no confidence that the Malays are able to think. Umno thinks that the Malays are stupid and easily fooled. Umno also feels that the Malays lack faith and are ignorant about Islam. This means all it takes is for the Bible to use the word Allah and thousands of Malays would leave Islam and become Christians.

NO HOLDS BARRED 

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Gubal undang-undang cegah murtad jika benar Umno sayang Allah 

Jika para pemimpin Umno benar-benar sayangkan Allah, mereka hendaklah menggubal undang-undang mencegah murtad untuk diluluskan oleh Parlimen, kata Ahli Jawatankuasa PAS Pusat, Haji Mohamad Sabu.

“Dalam Dewan Rakyat kini terdapat 132 Ahli Parlimen yang beragama Islam. Saya yakin, kesemua mereka akan memberikan sokongan padu jika kerajaan yang diterajui Umno membentangkan rang undang-undang mengenai kesalahan murtad.

“Saya juga berharap mereka yang mahu berdemonstrasi membantah penggunaan kalimah Allah bagi agama lain turut mengemukakan tuntutan kepada kerajaan pimpinan (Datuk Seri) Najib (Tun Razak) supaya menggubal undang-undang mencegah murtad,” kata beliau ketika diminta mengulas kenyataan Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein mengenai demonstrasi tersebut.

Ketika diminta mengulas mengenai rancangan beberapa pertubuhan untuk mengadakan demonstrasi membantah penggunaan kalimah Allah bagi agama lain, Hishammuddin berkata, kerajaan tidak menghalang rakyat untuk menyuarakan pendapat mereka berhubung penggunaan kalimah “Allah” oleh majalah Herald-The Catholic Weekly.

“Oleh kerana kerajaan tidak menghalang demonstrasi tersebut dan tidak ada operasi seperti Operasi Lallang 1987 di mana saya dan rakan-rakan lain tidak fasal-fasal menjadi mangsa, tentulah kerajaan juga tidak menghalang mereka yang berdemonstrasi itu menuntut penggubalan undang-undang mencegah murtad,” kata Mohamad.

PAS, kata beliau, bukan sahaja dizalimi ketika demonstrasi dan majlis-majlis ceramah, malah tidak dibenarkan membentang usul mengenai murtad atau rang undang-undang ahli persendirian untuk mencegah murtad di Parlimen. 

Menurut beliau, pada 25 Mac 1988, Presiden PAS kini, Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang selaku Ahli Parlimen Marang telah mengemukakan usul untuk membincangkan gejala murtad, tetapi ditolak.

Selepas itu, kata Mohamad lagi, pada 2 November 1999, Tuan Guru juga tidak dibenarkan membentang rang undang-undang ahli persendirian untuk mencegah murtad. 

“Oleh kerana PAS buat semua tak boleh, saya yakin orang-orang Umno yang hendak berdemonstrasi itu boleh menuntut kerajaan menggubal undang-undang mencegah murtad.”

“Mereka sepatutnya berbuat demikian jika benar mereka sayangkan Allah,” kata beliau.” 

Mohamad juga menyokong saranan Mursyidul Am, Datuk Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat supaya diadakan dialog dengan pemimpin-pemimpin badan-badan Kristian bagi mencari jalan menyelesaikan pelbagai masalah.

“Saya harap dialog tersebut boleh disegerakan dan sebagai langkah awal, PAS boleh menginisiatifkan dialog tersebut.” 

“Saya yakin banyak perkara boleh dibincangkan dengan sikap yang lebih matang termasuk Perkara 11 (4) Perlembagaan Malaysia yang melarang penyebaran ajaran bukan Islam kepada orang-orang Islam,” katanya.

Beliau juga yakin perbincangan tersebut boleh menjadi agenda berterusan di pihak PAS, bukan sahaja dengan badan-badan Kristian malah dengan badan-badan agama lain juga. — Harakah Daily

Why are the Umno Malays so outraged that the court has ruled in favour of the Bahasa Malaysia Bible using the word Allah for God? Actually, it is not Bahasa Malaysia but Bahasa Indonesia as the Bibles are printed in Indonesia and imported into Malaysia.

The Umno Malays are outraged because they suspect that the Christians have a hidden agenda. And this hidden agenda is to confuse Muslims into thinking that the God for the Christians is the same God as for the Muslims. And if the Malays are fooled into thinking that both the Christians and Muslims share the same God then the Malays might leave Islam and convert to Christianity.

So the Christians should not also call their God Allah, never mind that the Arab Jews and Christians also use Allah for God. You see, the Arab Muslims are not stupid enough to become confused and fooled into thinking that Jews, Christians and Muslims share the same God — and therefore would leave Islam to become a Jew or Christian. Umno, however, feels that the Malays are not as clever as the Arabs. So, while the Arabs of all religions use the same word, Allah, for God, this must not be allowed in the Malay/Indonesian language Bible.

Umno has no confidence that the Malays are able to think. Umno thinks that the Malays are stupid and are easily fooled. Umno also feels that the Malays lack faith and are ignorant about Islam. This means all it takes is for the Bible to use the word Allah and thousands of Malays would leave Islam and become Christians.

Okay, maybe the Quran does say that there is only one God, Allah — the God of all mankind. Maybe the Quran also says that all followers of Moses and followers of Jesus who follow the way (adeen) of Abraham are the true submitters (meaning Muslim). Maybe Jews, Christians and Muslims are regarded as followers of Abraham’s way and that the three religions are referred to as the Abrahamic faith that share the same God. But this knowledge and understanding is only for learned people. And Umno does not feel that the Malays are learned enough to understand this. Umno feels that this may instead confuse the Malays and turn them into apostates.

If apostasy is the issue, then why stop at the word Allah? Since Umno wants to ban Bibles from using the word Allah to prevent apostasy then why not do what the Harakah Daily item above suggested? If Umno is genuinely concerned about apostasy amongst Muslims, then come out with laws to make it illegal for Muslims to leave Islam — like many other Muslim countries. Since, according to Umno, the Malays are not capable of thinking and can get easily fooled into leaving Islam, then, for the sake of the Malays, make it a crime to leave Islam.

I dare Umno to do this to show that they are sincere and genuinely concerned about the welfare of the Malay Muslims. Accept the challenge from PAS and let’s see where we go from there. Then it does not matter any longer if Bibles use the word Allah for God because any Malay who leaves Islam because of it will be put to death. Would any Malay who reads the Bible dare become confused and leave Islam when death will be what they face if they do?

Anyway, Umno is planning a demonstration tomorrow to protest the court decision. I feel they should organise this protest in front of the Indonesian Embassy considering that Indonesia is the main culprit here. Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world and yet it allows the Christians to confuse Muslims (as alleged by Umno) by allowing the Bible to use Allah for God. (Actually Indonesia is not a Muslim country since it upholds secularism but rather the country has the largest Muslim population).

The Indonesian language Bibles use the word Allah for God only because the Indonesian government allows it. So Indonesia and not the Christians are to be blamed here. And therefore Umno should demonstrate in front of the Indonesian Embassy to express their outrage.

Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post_08.html