Anwar: Allah can be used with good intentions by non-Muslims

(Daily Express) – The word “Allah” can be used in a proper manner by anyone with good intentions, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said even as a row between Christians and Muslims over its use continued following Monday’s Court of Appeal ruling which bars a Catholic newspaper from using it to describe God in in its Bahasa Malaysia newspaper.

Referring to the view of international Islamic scholar Yusuf Qardawi, Anwar said there were no prohibitions against the use of “Allah” if it is used in a proper manner and with good intentions.

“Now that the courts have decided, I would like to appeal to all to maintain their calm and not to allow religious zealots to further exploit this issue,” he said in a press conference after visiting several mosques here.

Anwar said he believed that the whole issue would be exploited by Umno to make it look like it was defending the dignity of Muslims.

“If we look behind all these from the point of Islamic laws, it is not right to politicise this issue at all,” he said.

The Permatang Pauh MP urged the public to respect the right to appeal against the recent decision by the Court of Appeal to quash an earlier High Court decision that had allowed the use of “Allah”.

Anwar pointed out that even the Prophet Muhammad’s father was named Abdullah which meant “a servant of Allah” even before the existence of Islam.

The PKR de facto leader said he understands why some Muslims are worried that Christians are using the word “Allah” to intentionally confuse Muslims.

“They have been misled by Umno into thinking that this is a ploy by Christians to convert Muslims so it is now our duty to explain to Muslims that it is not so,” he said.

Instead of demonising, insulting and instigating people over this issue like what is purportedly being done now by Umno, Anwar said this issue should be handled calmly and explained in a proper manner to all Muslims so that there will not be any misunderstanding.

He said Pakatan Rakyat will be discussing this issue in a meeting today and leeway will be given to PAS to draft out a joint statement on the issue.

“Christian leaders, PAS and even I have been attacked repeatedly for our stand on this issue but my response is that however difficult it is to switch the thinking of Malays so as not to let them be exploited by Umno, we need the courage to continue pushing forward,” he said.

The Court of Appeal ruled Monday against a High Court decision allowing the Catholic Church to refer to the Christian god with the Arabic word “Allah” in the Bahasa Malaysia section of its weekly paper, the Herald.

The court adjudged the usage of the word “Allah” as not integral to the Christian faith and said that allowing such an application would cause confusion in the Muslim community.

The Allah row erupted in 2008 when the Home Ministry threatened to revoke the Herald’s newspaper permit, prompting the Catholic Church to sue the government for violating its Constitutional rights.

In 2009, the High Court here upheld the Catholic Church’s constitutional right to use the word “Allah”, shocking Muslims who considered the word to only refer to the Muslim God.