DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh has risen to the defence of the party's secretary-general Lim Guan Eng's Christmas day call for Christians to be allowed to use the term 'Allah', stating that it was not intended to hurt Muslim sensitivities.
He explained that Lim's call was meant for Christians in Sabah and Sarawak where the word has been in use for generations.
It is surprising, therefore, that Penang Umno secretary Datuk Azhar Ibrahim has publicly come out with a scathing attack on the Penang chief minister that what he had said in his Christmas message should not hurt the feelings of Muslims, he said in a statement yesterday.
Karpal (right) added that in any event, the use of the word 'Allah' should not affect the sensitivities of Muslims in the country.
The word ‘Allah' appears 37 times in the Sikh bible. No objection has ever been taken by Muslims for the use of that word by Sikh when reciting their bible.
The word Allah also appears in the Bengali language. In Malaysia, the orang asli use the word and so do the Babas in Malacca, he said.
As such, Karpal said that there was no ill intention on Lim's part when making the call.
Nothing sinister should be read into what the chief minister said as he had no intention of hurting anyone's feelings.
He explained that Lim's call was meant for Christians in Sabah and Sarawak where the word has been in use for generations.
It is surprising, therefore, that Penang Umno secretary Datuk Azhar Ibrahim has publicly come out with a scathing attack on the Penang chief minister that what he had said in his Christmas message should not hurt the feelings of Muslims, he said in a statement yesterday.
Karpal (right) added that in any event, the use of the word 'Allah' should not affect the sensitivities of Muslims in the country.The word ‘Allah' appears 37 times in the Sikh bible. No objection has ever been taken by Muslims for the use of that word by Sikh when reciting their bible.
The word Allah also appears in the Bengali language. In Malaysia, the orang asli use the word and so do the Babas in Malacca, he said.
As such, Karpal said that there was no ill intention on Lim's part when making the call.
Nothing sinister should be read into what the chief minister said as he had no intention of hurting anyone's feelings.
Therefore, he added, calls for Lim to issue a public apology are not justified.
Lim (left) had in his Christmas message called on Putrajaya to allow Christians to use the term 'Allah' in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible.
DAP later clarified that the call was only for the term to be allowed for use in Sabah and Sarawak.
In response, PAS secretary general Mustafa Ali and Information Chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said that the term 'Allah' should not be used in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible as the correct translation for God should be 'Tuhan'.
PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim later said a Pakatan Rakyat meetingwill be called to hammer out the issue.
Lim (left) had in his Christmas message called on Putrajaya to allow Christians to use the term 'Allah' in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible. DAP later clarified that the call was only for the term to be allowed for use in Sabah and Sarawak.
In response, PAS secretary general Mustafa Ali and Information Chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said that the term 'Allah' should not be used in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible as the correct translation for God should be 'Tuhan'.
PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim later said a Pakatan Rakyat meetingwill be called to hammer out the issue.
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