Ex-Catholic Maximus Johnity Ongkili, a member and preacher of the Borneo Evangelical Mission and therefore a non-Catholic, has stirred a hornet’s nest by saying that the Catholic weekly Herald should not have gone to the Court on Allah.
He may have dug his political grave in Kota Marudu unless support from the Borneo Evangelical Mission alone is enough to save his political career and future.
Although Maximus may have had a point on not going to the court on such religious matters, he had no business interfering in Catholic matters.
Where’s his locus standi?
He has also no business in saying that Christians can use other terms for God and thereby implying that Allah – the one and only in Aramaic, Arabic, Gurmukhi, Malay and several other languages – is not an attribute of God to be used by Christians in the federation and/or in the world. Why didn’t he mention the Sikhs who also the term Allah in the Holy Book to refer to the Sikh faith?
Brother James would turn in his grave
His brother James Ongkili, a Catholic, must be stirring in his grave. James was at one time among others a Sabah Deputy Chief Minister.
Maximus must fall on his hands and knees at his brother’s graveside and beg forgiveness.
He must also apologize to Christians throughout the Federation and the world and beg their forgiveness on bended knees and promise not to repeat his foolish remarks on Allah.
Otherwise, he will never be able to redeem himself in this life or in the hereafter.
The Borneo Evangelical Mission is not under the authority of the Vatican and can be considered a renegade Church, like other protestant Churches, which has broken in part at least with the original teachings of the Christian faith as upheld by the Church of Rome.
Court of Appeal
The High Court considered the merits of the Home Minister's decision in directing the Herald not to use the term Allah -- the one and only in Aramaic, Arabic, Gurmukhi, Malay and several other languages -- in Malay print to refer to the Christian faith and ruled in favour of the Catholic weekly.
The Court of Appeal, in setting aside the High Court ruling, merely said that the Home Minister followed procedures in directing the Herald not to use the term Allah -- the one and only in Aramaic, Arabic, Gurmukhi, Malay and several other languages -- in Malay print to refer to the Christian faith. Unlike the High Court, it did not go into the merits of the Home Minister's decision.
Outside the ruling proper, the three COA judges – all Muslims -- said that Allah is not an integral path of the Christian faith and that furthermore said that Allah was exclusive to the Muslim faith. It made no mention of the Sikh faith which also uses the term Allah in Gurmukhi in the Sikh Holy Book and Arab Christians. It thereby not only took on the role of judge, jury and hangman but committed syirik in Islam faith by implying that there was more than one God.
Federal court expected to be just as biased as CoA
The Federal Court is likely to say that it sees no reason to interfere with the Court of Appeal ruling since the Herald did not prove that the Home Minister did not follow procedures in directing it not to use the term Allah -- the one and only in Aramaic, Arabic, Gurmukhi, Malay and several other languages -- in Malay print to refer to the Christian faith.
This will be seen by the whole world as a political decision by a Court packed with Muslim judges or majority Muslim judges, probably fanatics swearing by creeping Islamisation in a secular Federation, and who probably fear going to hell.
But Christians & the world will scorn & disrespect such a biased ruling - this then is Najib's nightmare
Alternatively, the Federal Court can sit as a Constitutional Court at the same time as per the prayers and pleadings of the Herald and rule that:
(1) the Court of Appeal erred in law in setting aside the High Court ruling and restore it.
(2) The Constitution guarantees Freedom of Worship.
(3) the Constitutional amendment by the Mahathir Government which allows states to enact legislation on propagation of non-Muslim faiths to Muslims is null and void since it was not earlier referred as required by the Constitution to the Conference of Rulers.
an inferior law, the state enactments on propagation, is null and void to the extent of its inconsistency with the superior law, the Constitution.
(4) The Government, or the Court, cannot determine and dictate how anyone should or should not call his or her God or how anyone should or should not practise his or her faith.
(5) It is also not for the Government or the Court to determine and dictate whether any practice is an integral part or not an integral part of any faith and/or whether any practice is exclusive or not exclusive to any faith. The principle in Law cited by the Court of Appeal in the Ananda Marg case from India is inapplicable, irrelevant and immaterial since it merely refers to dancing in the busy streets of Calcutta on a particular day and does not hit out at any other faith in the process.
(6) The Court of Appeal failed to take into consideration that Allah was used in the Malay/Indonesian Bible to refer to the Christian faith.
(7) to satisfy public opinion, the Court of Appeal also failed to invite the Vatican, as a subject matter expert, to give its testimony on the use of the term Allah in the Malay/Indonesian Bible which received its seal of approval after being translated by teams of experts over some 25 years or more under its Oversight.
(8) The question of Muslims in the Federation being confused by Christians using the term Allah -- the one and only in Aramaic, Arabic, Gurmukhi, Malay and several other languages -- in Malay print to refer to the Christian faith does not arise.
Non-Muslims are subjected at maximum decibels, in violation of the laws against noise pollution, five times or more a day to the call for prayer from mosques and yet they are not confused. If anything, their faith is all the stronger and the Churches are packed.
(9) the Court is not the place for religion or politics. The Court has no jurisdiction in the matter.
(10) the Court and the Government should consider the reality that law does not exist if it is unenforceable, is not enforced and is widely flouted.
Court or no Court, Government or no Government, the Federal Court and the Federal Government and the state authorities should take note of the reality that Christians will continue to use the term Allah in Malay print, prayer, song and worship throughout the Federation to refer to the Christian faith and thereby make a laughing stock of the Court and/or the Government, with the support of the entire world, if they interfere in matters involving the Christian faith.
These rulings by the Federal Court will not be seen as political decisions by it. - MAILBAG
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