Sikhs feared ‘Allah’ controversy would see holy book ban, bio reveals

 

The Guru Granth Sahib contains the Arabic word to describe God. (EPA Images pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

The Sikh community had feared that its holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, would be banned at the height of the controversy surrounding the use of “Allah” by non-Muslims, a new book reveals.

The Guru Granth Sahib also referred to God using the same Arabic term.

The debate over the use of the word “Allah” was ignited when Syed Hamid Albar, who was home minister from 2008 to 2009, sought to gazette a ban on the usage of the word by non-Muslims.

Apart from “Allah”, the government, when led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad during his first stint as prime minister, had banned three other words: “Kaaba”, “Baitullah” and “solat”.

However, Syed Hamid’s push for these words to be gazetted perturbed several non-Muslim groups, his biography claimed.

The book “Idealis: Syed Hamid Albar”, a biography of Syed Hamid Albar, is published by Ilham Books.

Titled, “Idealis: Syed Hamid Albar”, the book told of how the home ministry’s then secretary-general, Abdul Aziz Yusof, met with 10 representatives from various Sikh groups who had come to inform him that their holy book also contained the word “Allah”.

They were worried that the Guru Granth Sahib would also be banned.

However Aziz, who went on to serve as the Election Commission chairman for seven years, allayed their fears.

“Aziz told them not to worry as the matter had nothing to do with them and that the issue was more with the Christians.

“And they (the Sikh groups) were satisfied,” the book read.

The controversy over the word “Allah” arose because indigenous Christians in Sabah and Sarawak also use the term in their Malay-language bibles and religious publications.

Various Muslim pressure groups have argued that “Allah” is exclusive to Islam, citing a 1986 government directive that prohibits non-Muslims from using it.

However, Christians, especially those who predominantly communicate in Malay, contended that they have used the term for centuries to refer to God.

Syed Hamid’s biography, written by Noor Hasilah Ismail and Firdaus Zainal, is published by Ilham Books. It was launched by Mahathir and is available online as well as from Gerakbudaya and Ilham Books. - FMT