After staring eyeball to eyeball with the Christian community over the Allah ruling by High Court Judge Lau Bee Lan, it was the Malaysian Government that blinked first. In an interview with East Malaysian press, including The Borneo Post, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said: “Christians in Sarawak and Sabah need not worry over this issue because it is a common tradition there. I have been to an Iban church service and I heard the word “Allah” used there.” Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz is effectively saying that it is OK for East Malaysian Christians to use the word “Allah” when referring to “God” in Malay.
Why the change of heart? Just a short while earlier, it was the same Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz who argued: “Christians would not lose anything if they did not use the word ‘Allah’ in the Bible or their magazine.”
Some people think that the upcoming Sarawak state election is one big reason for this change of heart. The current state assembly’s term expire in mid-2011. And the ruling Barisan Nasional would not want to lose votes here.
High Court Judge Lau Bee Lan had ruled on New Year’s Eve that the word “Allah” is not exclusive to Islam, and that the Roman Catholic Newspaper, The Herald, can use it in its publication. This Allah ruling has resulted in a spate of attacks on churches.
But if East Malaysian Christians can use the term “Allah”, what about Christians in Semenanjung (Peninsula) Malaysia? Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said: “Muslims here in Semenanjung cannot accept it as ‘Allah’ was never used in Christian preaching until recently and they questioned the motive behind the substitution of ‘Tuhan’ for ‘Allah’.”
Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said that the word ”Allah” is not allowed to be used by churches in Semanunjung Malaysia and so Christians from the two East Malaysian states have to respect this ruling when they are in Semenanjung.
But what is the legal basis for banning the use of the word “Allah” in Peninsula Malaysia? Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz explains: “It is clearly stated in our constitution that no other religions can be propagated to Malay Muslims and this article has been enacted in all the states in Malaysia where the Sultan is the Head of State … so this excludes Federal Territory, Penang, Malacca, Sarawak and Sabah.”
So does this mean Christians in the Federal Territory, Penang, Malacca, Sarawak and Sabah can use the word “Allah”? Not so, said Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz: “In these states, for the ban on the use of ‘Allah’ to be implemented the Home Affairs Minister can use the Printing Act to enforce it.”
If Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz has been correctly reported, then what would be the outcome of another coming court case involving the Allah issue? In 2008, a Sarawakian Christian called Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill had her religious CDs confiscated on arrival in a Malaysian airport. These CDs contained the word “Allah” in their titles. Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill applied to the court to challenge the legality of that seizure and to recover the seized CDs. She is also seeking a declaration that she has the right to possess, use and import publications containing the word “Allah”. This case had originally been scheduled to be heard at end January, but is now postponed to mid March. Since Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill is from the East Malaysian state of Sarawak, then based on what Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said, would she be successful in court?
Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz also said that that government has the duty to act if the usage of “Allah” by Christians is sensitive to Muslims even if courts deem it legal. He said: “The government has a duty to stop acts of disrespect and provocation that inflame religious and racial feelings in the nation even if there was no law that stated these acts were wrong.”
Think about it. Why are there two sets of rules on the usage of the word ‘Allah’ in the nation? Does this make sense?
Related posts
Allah Ruling – Why No Legal Challenge Earlier?
Allah Ruling – East Malaysians Stand Firm
Minister To Church Leaders – Drop Allah Usage
Allah Ruling Aftermath – What If …
Allah Ruling And Attacks On Churches
Allah Ruling – What Is The Crux Of The Unrest?
Allah Ruling – Mahathir Explains Christianity And Islam
Allah Ruling – Stay Of Execution Granted
Allah Ruling – Mahathir To Leaders: Flex Your Muscles
Malaysia – Government Filed Appeal On Allah Ruling
Malaysia – Reactions To Allah Ruling
Malaysia – Judge Rules Allah Name Not Exclusive To Islam
Malaysia – “No” To Christian Allah
Recent Comments