‘Allah’ ruling has made criminals of Bumiputera Christians, say church leaders

Christians in Sarawak are known to use their native languages in their worship, liturgy and in prayers, and address God as ‘Allah Taala’. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, June 27, 2014.Christian pastors and church ministers in Sarawak warned that the Federal Court ruling on the “Allah” issue had effectively made criminals of Bumiputera Christians who will attend church this Sunday.

They want Putrajaya to review its position on the “Allah” ban on Christians in Malaysia, given that the mess was created by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

In a strongly worded statement, the Sarawak Ministers Fellowship (SMF) said the Monday ruling denying the right of Christians to use the word had a deep impact on Bumiputera Christians in the state.

Christians in Sarawak are known to use their native languages in their worship, liturgy and in prayers, and address God as "Allah Taala".

"Rural churches in Sarawak which largely worship in their native languages or Bahasa Malaysia will find that given the ruling, their worshippers are in breach of the law when they go to Church this Sunday.

"In just one stroke, the Federal Court has made criminals of Malaysian Christians when they pray and address God as Allah Taala", SMF chairman Reverend Daron Tan said in a statement today.

He added that the Federal Court judges had abdicated their duty to give the Catholic Church a due hearing and to adequately ventilate its viewpoint on the 28 questions submitted to court.

Tan also said the judiciary also lost a valuable opportunity to show the world its capacity to give an intellectually satisfying decision on the issues posed by the Catholic Church.

"The court has displayed cowardice in refusing to face the questions posed and failed Malaysia in not giving a true legal opinion on the dispute between the church and the Home Ministry," he added.

Tan said they had been waiting patiently for political leaders in Sarawak and Putrajaya to clear the confusion on the state of religious freedom.

He added that for instance, the thousands of Sarawakians who work and study in the peninsula will become instant criminals the day they start reading their Bibles in their mother tongue.

"Bumiputera Christians in Sarawak are in a quandary over the precious Bibles in their possession," he said.

Tan said given that Sarawakian Christians have been let down by their leaders, they could not wait or depend on empty promises, or uncertainty for religious freedom to be restored.

Tan said that it was also the view of SMF that the 10-point agreement was issued before the Sarawak elections without any sincerity and was only to serve political expediency and to win votes.

"The SMF feels that the one-country-two-laws position announced by Prime Minister Datuk Najib Razak was without any basis in law or principle," Tan added.

He further said the BN government had created the mess and should resolve the problem.

"The SMF demands of state and national leaders to allow religious freedom.

"Stop-gap, temporary emotion-soothing measures are unacceptable and not working," Tan said.

He also called on Putrajaya to review its position on the ban against Christians using the word Allah in their liturgy and worship in order to bring regulations in line with those in Arab-speaking Muslim-majority countries.

- TMI