KUALA LUMPUR - Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad appears to have lashed out at the Christians in Malaysia, including those in Sabah and Sarawak, blaming them for the current conundrum over the unfair and controversial Allah ban.
Although most of the Muslim World , from Indonesia to Dubai, Qatar and Pakistan, have minced no words shaming the Malaysian government for alleged religious "insecurity" and banning Christians from using the word Allah, Mahathir saw the issue differently.
"Our view before was people who already use it can continue doing so, but why bring it to the peninsula? It's never used (in the peninsula) anyway," Mahathir was reported as telling a press conference on Friday.
He was commenting on the request by some Muslim NGOs to disallow non-Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak from using the Allah word. Christians from the biggest proportion of non-Muslims in East Malaysia.
Allah now illegal whether in Peninsular or East Malaysia
Sabah and Sarawak have large numbers of Christians, who have been using the word Allah to describe God in their worship even before the two states on Borneo island joined the 11 states in the Malayan peninsula to form Malaysia in 1963.
However, a recent court ban on Catholic magazine, the Herald, from using the word has now made it illegal for Christians and other non-Muslims in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo island to use the word.
Extremist or ultra Muslim groups had in the immediate aftermath of the ruling, which was widely perceived as being unfair and motivated by racial politics, had insisted that the ban be extended to Sabahans and Sarawakians.
Nonetheless, following the massive outcry from Christians throughout the country and the threat of Sabah and Sarawak seceding from Malaysia, the government's lawyers have backpedaled, and now interpret the ban as being applicable only to the Herald and no one else.
The recant has however prompted more ridicule and distrust. Critics pointed out that if the ban extended only to the Herald, then any other publication could still use Allah to describe God.
East Malaysian Christians, while they had immediately rejected the ruling saying they would not comply, are still wary the overly wide judgement might be used to pressure them in the future, or whenever it was politically expedient for the federal government to do so.
"Although the court decided in respect of the Herald, the approach taken by saying the word Allah is not an integral and essential part of Christianity even for Malay-speaking Christians means that the Malay-language Bible is also not allowed to use Allah," Opposition MP for Subang Sivarasa Rasiah, a prominent lawyer, told Malaysia Chronicle.
"However, because this is a court ruling and not statute law, the government can, for political considerations, close an eye to the court decision and say the people can use whatever Bible they wish and no action will be taken. Of course, this would make them look real silly especially after the way the Attorney General, Home Minister and Umno-linked groups pushed for the ban."
Urgent appeal, full 7-member panel
Indeed, the political Opposition is pushing for a quick appeal to Malaysia's highest court to resolve the legal mess, and are demanding a full 7-member bench.The recent ruling by the Appeals Court had been made by a three-member panel, who were all Malay Muslims.
The case came about after the Home Ministry banned Catholic magazine, the Herald, from using the Allah word in 2007, even though Allah has been used to describe God in the Malay-language Bibles in Sabah and Sarawak for decades.
The Catholic Church took the Home Ministry to court and won its case in 2009. The High Court judge ruled that it was unconstitutional for the government to stop the Herald from using the word. The government then appealed the High Court decision and the Appeals Court announced its rather startling judgement on Monday.
"The problem with practicing Muslims today is that they treat Islam like an insecure entity that needs care, due attention and a special shelter lest it gets smeared and nullified. The recent example of this attitude is displayed in Malaysia where the government has gone so far as proscribing Christians from using Allah as their God’s name," wrote the Daily Times, Pakistan in an editorial titledThe Hajj Sermon.
"Who has given Muslims the liberty to copyright the name of Allah? It is His name, and He is the God of the universe, as He has said in the scriptures. There is no religion that does not believe in the existence of God. Why are we trying to deny people owning God in all His attributes? Is this how piety in Islam is preserved or managed?"
An insult to the non-Muslims and Christians
It is unlikely that the 88-year-old Mahathir will take much note of the international brickbats for Malaysia's Allah ban.
According to critics, the former Umno president may not even realize his comments may be insulting to the Christians in the country, many of whom are still feeling raw and upset at the unfair ban.
"Mahathir's lashing out at the non-Muslims is a sign of desperation by the Umno elite. Playing the religious card is the only way they have of getting the Malays to cling to Umno," Tian Chua, MP for Batu told Malaysia Chronicle.
"Mahathir's comment about non-Muslims, asking them not to bring the Allah issue to the peninsula confirms what we have suspected all along - that the Allah ban was not based on religious belief but politically-motivated. It seems as if the government wants to divide and rule the Christians in Malaysia by allowing those in the East to use Allah but not those in West. He is also omitting that the court ruling legally bars Christians in East Malaysia from using Allah as well as the Christians in the peninsula. Mahathir is simply twisting the matter, he is accusing the Christians of encroaching and pinning the blame on them. The comment is disrespectful and disparages the rights of the non-Muslims especially the Christians.
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