So what is the reaction to the call to Christians in Malaysia to drop the usage of the word “Allah”? This call was made by Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department. Judging from the reactions of Christian leaders in East Malaysia, they are standing firm.
Pastor Danil Raut from the Borneo Evangelical Church said: “Since our forefathers become Christians in the 1920s, we have been using Allah even in our mother tongue. We are quite fearful (for our safety) but we will pray for protection and believe God will intervene in this matter.”
The Borneo Evangelical Church (Sidang Injil Borneo or “SIB”) has the largest Malay speaking congregation in Malaysia. It was established in 1928 in Sarawak, which was way before Sarawak became a part of Malaysia in 1961. Today it has expanded nationwide and has 250,000 members. The majority of these members use ”Allah” in their worship.
But are there many churches that use “Allah” in their worship? Alfred Tais, who heads the Malay language section of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship Malaysia, said there are at least 300 churches in peninsular Malaysia and hundreds more on Borneo that worship in the Malay language using “Allah.”
But how did the tribal people of East Malaysia get to use “Allah” in worship and literature? Dayak community leader Dr John Brian Anthony said that when Christianity was first introduced to their forefathers 100 years ago, the texts that were used were imported from Indonesia and these used the word “Allah”. Dr John Brian Anthony said: “My elders and me use the same text till today because that is the language we know. If someone tells me that my language is wrong, then I say ‘Why?’ Is it about Aqidah (faith) or is it about form?”
Political scientist Dr Faisal Syam Hazis of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) added: “The use of Allah by non-Muslims has already been embedded in East Malaysian society for more than 100 years. It has never been an issue.”
Agreeing, Pastor Danil Raut said: “Before this, there was no problem with using the word (“Allah”) for our daily worship. Of course, the Christians in East Malaysia are not happy with the tussle.”
So how is this “tussle” going to be resolved? Senior law professor Datuk Shad Saleem Faruqi said the Herald issue is not merely about who gets to use what word for whatever reason. Datuk Shad Saleem Faruqi said: “The heart of the matter is about a person exercising the use of his rights as is stipulated under the law, even if it means creating danger to the public.”
Indeed The Herald case has several rights involved. Datuk Shad Saleem Faruqi said: “There are so many rights being exercised when the Herald took this matter to court – fundamental rights, State rights, human rights, religious rights.”
Can the “tussle” be resolved by the Malaysian king, who afterall, is the head of the country’s Islamic affairs? According to Datuk Shad Saleem Faruqi, this is not possible. He explained: “Because there is no provision under the constitution that states the Ruler can do so. Even a Ruler can be sued in court.”
So then, back to the question, how can this “tussle” be resolved? Prof Shamrahayu Abdul Aziz, a constitutional law lecturer at the International Islamic University Malaysia said that if The Herald issue cannot be resolved via a court ruling based on the constitution, and the King’s advice does not hold the force of law, then what’s left as a possibility to resolve this stalemate is the spirit of the Malaysian people themselves. Prof Shamrahayu Abdul Aziz said: “I believe only Malaysians can solve this unique problem. We have to be tolerant and negotiate among ourselves to bring back the ‘peace and harmony formula’ we once enjoyed.”
Alfred Tais added: “Our response is to pray for peace. We have mobilized all our members to pray that God will give our leaders wisdom to find a solution to this problem.”
So who would have thought that the ruling by High Court Judge Lau Bee Lan on New Year’s Eve that The Herald is free to use the word “Allah” in its publication because that word “Allah” is not exclusive to Islam would result in so complex an issue for Malaysia. The simplistic way to resolved the case is for the Christians to drop the use of the word “Allah”, but they believe that they have the right to use it and they are standing firm on this. Others say the way to resolve it is through the courts, where the Home Ministry has filed an appeal against the Allah ruling by Judge Lau Bee Lan. Some say the Agong should intervene, but apparently he has no constitutional power to do so. So in the end, the issue may have to be resolved in the Malaysian way through negotiation.
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