Malaysia’s Allah Issue Seen from Afar
It is the government that seized more than 20,000 Bibles in 2009. It is the government that banned the use of the word “Allah” in the Catholic weekly The Herald. It is the government’s Police Force that joined the recent raid on the Bible Society of Malaysia, confiscating over 300 bibles without a search warrant.
John R. Malott, Asia Sentinel
A former US ambassador to Malaysia sounds the alarm
Like other friends of Malaysia overseas, I have followed the controversy over the use of the word “Allah” with interest, but also with great concern. For I believe that this issue, if left unchecked, has the potential to tear Malaysia and the dream of “Bangsa Malaysia” apart.
While there are racial and religious issues in every society, what makes the situation in Malaysia different is that it is the government that has condoned and even provoked these tensions for its own political purposes.
For years, UMNO justified its existence by saying that the Malays are under threat, and that only UMNO could defend “the Malay race”.
After the 13th general election, in which UMNO candidates received only 30 percent of the national vote – and in which BN as a whole got only 47 percent – it had two choices. It could broaden its appeal or it could narrow it by trying to appeal to the PAS voter base, for whom religion rather than race is a more important concern.
Unfortunately, UMNO chose the latter course and started to play the “Muslim” card. Now, according to the government and UMNO, it is not just Malays, it is also Islam that is under threat. As for the “Malay” card, UMNO increasingly has gone to the extreme, pandering to extreme racist elements, starting with PERKASA.
The irony of the “Malays/Islam under threat” claim, of course, is that in Malaysia, both Malays and Muslims are the majority. And UMNO controls the government. So how can the Malay race and the Muslim religion in Malaysia be under threat?
To UMNO’s leadership, it doesn’t matter. There is no need to explain. They just speak and offer no evidence, and use their propaganda instruments – Bernama, RTM, Utusan Malaysia, the New Straits Times, etc – to spread the word.
From an international perspective, they also make assertions that are totally out of line with Islamic thinking and practice in the rest of the world.
Think about it – Malaysia is the only country in the world that ignores history and linguistics and dares to ban non-Muslims from uttering the word “Allah.” Like Humpty Dumpty, the Malaysian government stands alone – and claims for itself the right to decide what words mean and what words people may read, write, think, and speak.
