The 'Allah' case at a glance: Part 2

 

Indeed, the problem will continue to persist. But the government knows and has the answer. It only needs the political will and goodwill to put matters to rest. All 14 component parties of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition except one have distanced themselves from this highly divisive and irregular policy.

Bob Teoh, mysinchew.com

Allah is just a word in the Semitic languages to refer to the English word God. Languages like Malay borrow this loan word from Arabic. Thus, whether it is in the Malay language Qur'an or the Malay language Bible, or Alkitab as it is known, the word for God is Allah.

But it is more than just a word. The government and the religious establishment are perceived by non-Muslims, especially Christians, as taking all available means to stop them from using this word. This makes Malaysia the only Muslim-majority country to make it an offence for non-Muslims to use the Allah word as well as a slew of other common Arabic words like doa (pray), iman (faith), and nabi (prophet).

'Allah' is a shared word among People of the Book, a centuries-old common heritage. Only in Malaysia do we refuse to understand this.

But, as the Kuala Lumpur High Court judgement on The Herald Case pointed out, the battle over the Allah word is not about Islam as the religion of the Federation or the Sultans' authority over it but whether the government can lawfully prohibit non-Muslims from using the Allah word.

Writing on his blog following the Herald judgement and subsequent fire-bombing of churches, Dr Mahathir Mohamad said:

“This controversy actually began when I was Prime Minister. The Cabinet at the time held the opinion that its use in the Bible is a sensitive matter. Sensitive matters such as this cannot be resolved by simply referring to the law.”

According to the Herald judgement, “A mere statement by the Home Minister that the exercise of power was necessary on the ground of national security without adequate supporting evidence is not sufficient in law.”

Mahathir also sees a hidden Christian agenda for wanting to use the Allah word.

“Perhaps the word 'Allah' is to equate Christianity with Islam so it is the worship of the same God. With this, acceptance of Christianity by Muslims can be so much easier. This translation is incorrect. In fact, the word 'Tuhan' should be used for God.”

Like Mahathir, others have also suggested that Christians should use Tuhan to refer to God. However, this is flawed advice. The Bible often refers to God, especially in the Old Testament as the LORD God. In other words, this would have to be translated as Tuhan Tuhan. Not only will this sound silly, it is also bad grammar.

In Malay, a repetition of a noun renders in from a singular to a plural. In other words, Christians worship many gods; making it into a polytheistic religion; God forbid, nothing can be further from the truth. Let there be no confusion over this. The Bible is explicitly clear on the one-ness of God. This is clear in the Old testament book of Deuteronomy 6:4 and in the New Testament Gospel of Mark 12:29.

The fear of conversion out of Islam, especially to Christianity, is understandable. But the hysteria whipped up by the religious establishment and the ultra right wing is wholly unsubstantiated. The fact remains that the opposite appears to be true.

In Sabah alone there were 117,579 conversions to Islam from 1970 to 2009, according to official statistics.

Yet lies are repeatedly spread about massive conversions of Muslims to Christianity. Take for instance, the Mufti of Perak. His allegations have even riled some Muslims to the extent that the Sisters in Islam was prompted to issue a press statement on 6 November 2006 to refute his allegations.

It would not be right to put all the blame on Dr Mahathir. He was not the only Prime Minister to ban an indigenous language Bible. His successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, banned the Bup Kudus, the Iban Bible, while in his capacity as acting Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister. According to a research paper by Tsunashima-Miyake, Ikuko in early 2003, the ban was imposed on the Iban Bible by the Ministry of Home Affairs but was withdrawn within two months.

Indeed, the problem will continue to persist. But the government knows and has the answer. It only needs the political will and goodwill to put matters to rest. All 14 component parties of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition except one have distanced themselves from this highly divisive and irregular policy.

There is no reason for one party to hold the whole nation to ransom any longer. Thirty three years is long enough for people of other faiths to carry this cross. The present generation of believers don't even know the genesis of this plague but they inherit the pain all the same. It's time to bury past mistakes. It's time to bring forth reconciliation. Therein lies the redemption of our nation.

This is an extract from 'Allah' – more than a word (2010 Zomiky Media) used with permission.