Don’t let fear of the word ‘Allah’ divide us

 

East Malaysians are overjoyed that Jill Ireland has won her case, 13 years after she filed a suit against the home ministry’s seizure of eight educational compact discs containing the word “Allah” that was meant for her personal use.

The dispute about whether Muslims have exclusive use of the word has garnered world attention and sometimes ridicule.

Muslims in Malaysia are the first in the world to claim exclusivity for the word “Allah”. Even Muslims in other countries are baffled by such a dispute over a generic word for God that has been used for centuries by many communities and languages all over the world.

Justice Nor Bee Ariffin in her judgement said it cannot be disputed that the Christian community of Sabah and Sarawak had, for generations, been using the word “Allah” in Bahasa Melayu to mean “God” in the practice of their religion.

Ireland’s case is a good test of religious tolerance in Malaysia, and we should applaud her lawyers who worked on the case pro bono and for the brave judge who delivered an unbiased opinion based on law.

Politicising the word ‘Allah’

The issue has been heavily politicised by parties that lay claim that only Muslims in Malaysia have the exclusive right to use the word “Allah”. Soon after the judgment, the Muafakat Nasional (Umno and PAS) consultative committee issued a statement and urged the federal government to appeal against the High Court’s ruling.

Umno supreme council member Mohd Razlan Rafii said Muslims were prepared to take to the streets if the government failed to act.

Razlan’s incendiary statement was quickly shut down by the Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador who issued a warning to those planning to stage street protests. Hamid said: “If we do not respect the court’s decision, our country will be destroyed.”

We must remember that the court is free to come to a decision in line with the constitution. He went on to say that we cannot expect the court to rule according to our whims and fancies as it would be unfair, and if anyone is not satisfied with the decision, they can file an appeal or raise the matter in Parliament.

We should expect Malaysia to be a nation of law and order. Despite the dismal state of race relations and religious tolerance, people like Nor Bee Ariffin and Hamid give us hope that there is justice, law and order in Malaysia.

The country should not be governed by bigoted racial parties who use religion to extend their political power and control the narrative using toxic words to deceive and create chaos.

Promise of freedom of religion in Sabah and Sarawak

East Malaysians have accepted Islam as the nation’s official religion as stated in the constitution, but the constitution also allows others the freedom to practise their religion without interference and in peace.

In the run-up to the formation of Malaysia, freedom of religion was the No.1 priority for Sabah and Sarawak, and No.1 on the list of the 20 Points, safeguards crafted by Sabah-Sarawak leaders, as contained in the Inter-Governmental Committee report (IGC).

Sabah went one step further, by getting the federal government to make a promise cast in stone. To allay the fears of the native chiefs and the people on the concept of Malaysia, the oath stone was erected to seal the guarantees for the local people.

1. Freedom of religion.
2. The government of Sabah holds authority over land.
3. Native customs and traditions will be respected and upheld by the government.

In return, the people of Sabah’s interior pledged loyalty to the government of Malaysia. The promise written on the oath stone is recognised by the federal government.

The Ireland case is a clear breach of the promises written on the oath stone. The exclusivity of the word “Allah” as claimed by Malayan Muslims threatens the promise of freedom of religion and disrespects native customs and traditions in Sabah.

East Malaysians respect the customs and traditions of Malays and it’s about time Malays reciprocated. Divisive behaviour and language that will offend others and divide the nation should not be used.

Plagiarised or borrowed words

There are many words that Bahasa Melayu has plagiarised or borrowed from English. For example, the government commission Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia has borrowed two English words.

I don’t see the Queen of England taking Malaysia to court or the English people going to the streets in protest. Indonesia, the country with the biggest Muslim population, has not claimed exclusivity of the word “Allah”.

The issue in Malaysia is always it has nothing to do with the general population. The ones that play up the issue are the politicians and some segments of the population who are always seeking ways to create divisive issues for their own needs.

The imaginary fear that one word can confuse Muslims to convert to Christianity is ridiculous. It’s like the 2017 case where it was reported that a Universiti Utara Malaysia academic who claimed that an autobiography of Selangor assembly speaker Hannah Yeoh, which he bought, could influence him towards Christianity.

There’s nothing much right with Malaysia today be it in politics, the economy or the pandemic. Which is why one word should not be used as an end to justify the means. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.