Malaysian Gov’t, Catholic Church Take Battle Over ‘Allah’ to High Court
Malaysia’s high court began hearing legal arguments Monday over the use of “Allah” by Christians as a translation for God.
More from Aaron J. Leichman/Christian Post
While the Catholic Church in Malaysia insists that the word “Allah” is not exclusive to Islam and has been used by Christians and Muslims in Arabic-speaking countries for centuries, Senior Federal Counsel Datuk Kamaluddin argued otherwise, saying that the word is exclusive to Islam and that its sanctity must be protected.
Related Links:
- Malaysia Bans Catholic Paper for Use of ‘Allah’
- 15,000 Bibles in Malaysia Seized Over ‘Allah’ Reference
- Malaysian Gov’t Official Reiterates Muslim Claim on ‘Allah’
- Malaysia Christians Challenge Ban on ‘Allah’
“In our country, if one refers to Allah or mentions kalimah Allah, it will bring to one’s mind that it refers to the god for Muslims. Kalimah Allah is sacred to the Muslims and put at the highest position, and its sanctity must be protected,” he said Monday, according to local sources.
“Three Abrahamic religions” and “we all pray to the same god” is standard Mohammedan da’awa to “invite” the unbelievers to Islam. In reality, of course, Mohammedans know very well that the G-d of Jews and Christians has nothing in common with the pagan moon-god of the ancient desert Arabs…
Furthermore, Kamaluddin added, the Church cannot challenge the home minister’s decision to impose a condition on the permit sought by the Church’s weekly publication, The Herald.
“You can only challenge if the minister refused to grant a permit,” he stated.
The Herald had filed suit against the Malaysian government in December 2007 after the government threatened to revoke its printing permit if it did not cease use of the word “Allah” in the Malay language section of its newspaper.
Under the Printing Presses and Publication Act of 1984, Malaysia’s home minister has the power to impose a prohibition as a condition, and in the case of The Herald, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar reportedly prohibited the usage of the word “Allah” on the grounds of national security and to avoid misunderstanding and confusion among Muslims.
“The use of the word ‘Allah’ by other religions may arouse sensitivity and create confusion among Muslims,” explained Abdullah Zin, the de-facto minister for Islamic affairs, to the local press last year.
The Herald, however, claims that the ban is unconstitutional and violates freedom of religion.
The newspaper’s lead counsel, Porres Royan, argued Monday that the word “Allah” was essential for worship and faith instruction within the country’s Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Catholic community.
Royan also insisted that the minister had also acted outside the Printing Presses and Publications Act.
“The Act was not meant to regulate any religious groups in the practice and propagation of their faith including through the use of religious publications,” he told High Court Justice Lau Bee Lan, according to The Malaysia Star.
“The said publication is a Catholic weekly and is intended for the dissemination of news and information on the Catholic Church in Malaysia and it is not made available to members of the public, in particular to persons professing the religion of Islam,” he added, according to the Sun Daily.
Royan also noted that the publication does not contain any material that is likely to cause public alarm or touch on the sensitivities of the religion of Islam.
The hearing is scheduled to resume Tuesday and also comes three months after Malaysian authorities seized 10,000 Bibles imported from Indonesia that refer to God as “Allah.”
Last month, the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), the representative body of Christians in Malaysia, called for the immediate release of the Bibles and the 5,000 more that were seized in March.
The network of churches and organizations also issued a re-issued a declaration affirming their commitment to Bahasa Malaysia as their national language, which they say they have and will continue to use “in its entirety” in the life and witness of their churches and organizations.
“And [we] urge all Churches to be vigilant and unceasing in prayers for wisdom on the part of all concerned to amicably resolve this issue and for the maintenance of a united, harmonious and peaceful nation where justice, human rights and human dignity are upheld at all times,” CFM leaders expressed in the declaration, first issued in September 1989.
According to the CIA World Factbook, 60.4 percent of Malaysia’s 25.7 million people are Muslims. Around 19.2 percent, meanwhile, practice Buddhism, and 9.1 percent ascribe to Christianity.
In general, Islam enjoys special privileges in Malaysia as the dominant religion.
Other News:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Two-thirds of Protestant pastors believe Islam is a dangerous religion, according to survey results just released by LifeWay Research. More>>
Malaysian government says Church cannot challenge ban on its use of the word “Allah”
Arabic-speaking have used the word “Allah” for the God of the Bible since time immemorial. This is simply an assertion of supremacy. “Church cannot challenge ‘Allah’ ban, says govt counsel,” from Bernama, December 14 (thanks to JW):
KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 14, 2009): The publisher of Herald, the Catholic weekly, cannot challenge the home minister’s prohibition on the use of the word “Allah” in its publication, the High Court heard today.
Senior Federal Counsel Datuk Kamaluddin Md Said told the court the home minister had the power to impose such prohibition as condition to be attached to the permit issued under the Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984.
“A permit granted under the act must have a condition. The condition is part and parcel of the permit and it cannot be read separately, and you have no choice but to comply with it,” he said.
“Therefore, you cannot challenge the condition imposed by the minister on the permit. You can only challenge if the minister refused to grant a permit.”
Kamaluddin said this in his reply to the application for a judicial review filed by the Kuala Lumpur Roman Catholic Church over the prohibition on the use of the word “Allah” in Herald.
He further submitted that the act was one of the legislations to control the freedom of speech and expression as provided for under Article 10 of the Federal Consitution.
On Feb 16, Archbishop Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam, as publisher of Herald, filed an application for a judicial review to seek a declaration that the decision by the home minister was illegal and that the word “Allah” was not exclusive to Islam.
The home ministry had approved Herald’s publication permit on Jan 7 with conditions that the usage of the word “Allah” was prohibited and the word “Limited” (Terhad) must be endorsed on its front page, to mean that the Catholic weekly must be circulated only to Christians….
In Malaysia, non-Muslim religions “can be practised in peace and harmony” — as long as they know their place
The government gives Islam special status. But after that, tolerance is the watchword! Sharia, of course, does not allow non-Muslims to enjoy equal rights with Muslims.
Sharia Alert from modern, moderate Malaysia: “Islam’s Official Status Provides For Special Allocations,” from Bernama, December 18 (thanks to Jihad Watch):
TANJUNG MALIM, Dec 18 (Bernama) — Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah on Friday said that Islam’s status as the country’s official religion as enshrined in the constitution and the position of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong and Malay state rulers as heads of the religion allows for the Federal Government and State Governments to allocate spending for the matters related to the religion.
He said apart from that the government also had the wisdom to meet the needs of other religions in the country.
“Religious matters are enshrined in the country’s Constitution. Article 3 (1) of the Malaysian Constitution sets Islam as the official religion; but other religions can be practised in peace and harmony,” he said at a function to commemorate Maal Hijrah 1431 Hijrah at the Perak-state level as well as to officiate the Masjid At-Taqwa at Proton City here.
Also present was the Raja Muda of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah.
Sultan Azlan said the constitution was drafted as an instrument of reference to governance as the country achieved independence and the consitution was not only drafted by Muslims and Malays but was drafted with agreement of various quarters who represented various races and religions.
“The spirit enshrined in Article 3 (1) of the Constitution is recognised by the country. That is why on festivals various cultures and religions are respected to the point that Malaysia has so many public holidays to respect religious and cultural events,” he said.
He said the high level of tolerance and understanding displayed by Muslims and Malays as the indigenous people of the land enabled and allowed the fostering of various cultures and religions and this was the basis for Malaysia’s strength as a united nation, with political stability, capable of economic growth that was effective and focused.
“Matters related to race, culture, language and religion are sensitive and can easily touch emotions. Such sensitive matters can easily lead to provocation as well as misunderstanding leading up to controversy and confrontation,” he said….
Yes, all that misunderstanding can be tough.
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