BFM Radio fined RM10,000 over Reza Aslan ‘Allah’ interview

Iranian-American Muslim scholar Reza Azlan says the world is laughing at Malaysia’s ban on the use of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims. A local radio station has been fined for interviewing him. – Pic courtesy of Reza Azlan, December 16, 2014.Business radio station BFM has been fined RM10,000 by regulators for airing an interview on Malaysia's "Allah" controversy with Iranian-American Muslim scholar Reza Azlan on October 21 last year, reflecting the stringent media laws in the country.

The Malaysian Insider learnt that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) fined BFM under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for violating the special licence conditions of Individual Content Applications Service Provider (CASP-I) which stipulates the regulator's approval must be obtained before any live or delayed telecast.

MCMC strategic communication adviser Sheikh Raffie Abd Rahman confirmed the action on BFM to The Malaysian Insider.

“Yes, we have compounded,” he said in a WhatsApp message when contacted in Kuala Lumpur.

It is not clear which conditions in the CASP-I have been violated, but in addition to this, BFM has also broken Section 206(3) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 on compliance with licence conditions.

A source from the radio station told The Malaysian Insider that an appeal would be made with the MCMC, which regulates all broadcasters and those in the online space.

The action came months after Malaysia’s press freedom index slid to a historic low of 147 out of 180 countries in the 2014 World Press Freedom Index released in February.

That ranking was two spots below that of Myanmar’s in the annual index compiled by Reporters Without Border (RSF). Last year, Malaysia was ranked 145 out of 179 countries, dropping 23 spots from the previous year.

In the BFM interview last year, Reza criticised Malaysia's ban on the use of "Allah" by non-Muslims and had called the Court of Appeal's decision on October 14, 2013, a "political decision".

The appellate court had banned the Catholic Church from using the Arabic word for God in the Bahasa Malaysia section of its weekly newspaper, Herald.

Reza had told BFM that Christians in the Middle East have used "Allah" as it meant God, and it was not a threat to Islam.

A vocal critic of the ban, he tweeted last year, "How stupid has Malaysia become? This stupid", linking his tweet to a news report about the Court of Appeal decision.

He also described the decision as a "tragedy" in an email interview with The Malaysian Insider last year.

The author of “No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam” said the court's decision was strange as "Allah" was a generic noun to refer to "God".

“Allah from the word Al-llah, that is the original word, Al-llah means God.

“Allah is not God’s name, whoever thinks that Allah is God’s name not only wrong, but is contradicting the Quran itself.

“This is not an interpretation, but historical fact,” he said.

The Court of Appeal's three-judge panel had ruled the word was "not integral" to Christian belief and practices and held that its use by non-Muslims could "cause confusion among Muslims".

The decision sparked intense debate among scholars while many Muslims abroad also expressed surprise.

The Catholic Church then went to the Federal Court but failed to obtain leave to have appeal the ban.

The Federal Court will now hear its review application to get leave on January 21. Reza had apparently giggled during the BFM interview and said, “how can you read (the court judgment) without laughing”, adding the court decision made Malaysia a laughing stock worldwide.

MCMC had also recorded statements from the radio station's producers Ezra Zaid and Umapagan Ampikaipakan last year over the interview with the religious studies scholar.

In February this year, MCMC also barred BFM from broadcasting an interview with opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over the Kajang by-election.

- TMI