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Sunday, July 14, 2013

WHAT CONSENSUS? Muslim group claims Vatican man broke ‘consensus’ on ‘Allah’

WHAT CONSENSUS? Muslim group claims Vatican man broke ‘consensus’ on ‘Allah’
The Vatican ambassador to Malaysia has come in for more tongue-lashing after broaching the “Allah” controversy, with the Malaysian Islamic NGO Consultative Council (MAPIM) accusing him of not respecting the local “consensus” granting Muslims exclusivity to the Arabic word.
On Thursday, Archbishop Joseph Marino, the first papal envoy to Malaysia, told the press at a gathering here that the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) has presented a “logical and acceptable” factsheet to counter the allegations by some hardline Muslims here that “Allah”, a word of Middle Eastern origin, was exclusive to Islam.
For that, he has been criticised by far-right Muslim groups that are demanding a retraction or his expulsion from Malaysia.
“Broadly speaking, the word Allah is used non-Muslims in the Arab countries, but not in Malaysia. Malaysia has a ‘limit’ on the use of the word Allah,” Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid, the president of MAPIM, was quoted as saying last night by Sinar Harian.
“The Vatican statement is contrary to the ‘consensus’ in Malaysia that ‘Allah’ is used specifically for Muslims in this country.”
It is unclear what “consensus” Mohd Azmi was referring to.
In 2011 and just ahead of the Sarawak state election, the Najib administration issued a 10-point resolution for east Malaysia to end a Home Ministry blockade against shipments of Malay-language bibles into the country then.
In it, the Cabinet, through Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jala, said the considerable Bumiputera Christian population in Sabah and Sarawak could use their Holy Scriptures in the Malay and indigenous languages.
The 10-point resolution is held up by Christians in Malaysia as official affirmation of their right to use the word “Allah” in a non-Muslim context, in addition to the 2009 High Court ruling that sparked off the controversy.
Separately, the news portal reported the head of Muslim group Muafakat, Ismail Mina Ahmad, as demanding action against Marino over the remarks.
“He made a statement about the use of the word ‘Allah’ that is now before the courts here; he is in contempt of court. At the same time, the Vatican is promoting inter-faith dialogue,” Ismail told the news portal.
“This shows double standards as his statements favour one side.”
Temperatures have once again risen as the government’s appeal against the contentious 2009 High Court decision upholding the Catholic Church’s constitutional right to use the word “Allah” is due to be heard after a four year hiatus.
In 2009, the decision had shocked Muslims who considered the word to only refer to the Islamic God. It also led to Malaysia’s worst religious strife, with houses of worship throughout the country coming under attack.
Putrajaya later decided to appeal the decision but the matter was left to fester until now, over four years later, allowing opposing sides to harden their stances.
Muslims are dominant religious group and represent over 60 per cent of Malaysia’s population of 28 million, while Christians make up less than a tenth of the number.
- MM

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