Umno practises “cosmetic” form of Islam, says Nik Aziz

Umno leaders appear to have lost interest in the Allah issue now that the party elections are over, said PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat (pic).

He said Umno practised a "cosmetic" form of Islam, which neglected the spirit of the religion. 

According to Nik Aziz, Umno leaders only appeared to be at the forefront of the issue prior to the party polls.

"Initially, Umno leaders made a fuss and insisted that only Muslims could use the word Allah. 

"But that was before the party polls. Now stories have begun to appear saying that the appellate court's decision on the banning of the word Allah does not apply to Sabah and Sarawak," he told Harakah Daily.

"Therefore, perhaps only Muslims in the peninsula will become apostates if non-Muslims are allowed to use the word Allah. The Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak have different laws," he said.

On October 14, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Catholic Church was banned from using the word Allah in the Bahasa Malaysia version of its weekly newspaper Herald.

However, churches in Sabah and Sarawak insisted that they would continue using the word Allah, while the Sikh community voiced their intention to use the Arabic word as it is found in their scriptures.

On Monday, ministers Tan Sri Joseph Kurup and Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the appellate court's decision was limited to Herald.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had also assured Christians in East Malaysia that they would be allowed to continue using the word Allah in their religious practice.

He said that Putrajaya's 10-point solution in 2011 allowed Christians to publish, import and distribute Malay-language bibles containing the Arabic word.

The appellate court ruling, Najib said, did not touch on Christian practises in Sabah and Sarawak.

Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz yesterday said Christians in East Malaysia should respect Muslims' exclusive right to describe God as Allah in West Malaysia.

The former de facto law minister said that the Christian bible in the peninsula was typically in English, but conceded that those in Sabah and Sarawak, including Muslims, referred to God as Allah as it was part of their culture.

"As much as Christians in Sabah and Sarawak want to be respected for how they practise their religion there, an equal amount of respect is required from them for Muslim sensitivities in the peninsula," Nazri said.