Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Posted: 06 Sep 2013 11:52 AM PDT

Indeed, the problem will continue to persist. But the government knows and has the answer. It only needs the political will and goodwill to put matters to rest. All 14 component parties of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition except one have distanced themselves from this highly divisive and irregular policy.

Bob Teoh, mysinchew.com

Allah is just a word in the Semitic languages to refer to the English word God. Languages like Malay borrow this loan word from Arabic. Thus, whether it is in the Malay language Qur'an or the Malay language Bible, or Alkitab as it is known, the word for God is Allah.

But it is more than just a word. The government and the religious establishment are perceived by non-Muslims, especially Christians, as taking all available means to stop them from using this word. This makes Malaysia the only Muslim-majority country to make it an offence for non-Muslims to use the Allah word as well as a slew of other common Arabic words like doa (pray), iman (faith), and nabi (prophet).

'Allah' is a shared word among People of the Book, a centuries-old common heritage. Only in Malaysia do we refuse to understand this.

But, as the Kuala Lumpur High Court judgement on The Herald Case pointed out, the battle over the Allah word is not about Islam as the religion of the Federation or the Sultans' authority over it but whether the government can lawfully prohibit non-Muslims from using the Allah word.

Writing on his blog following the Herald judgement and subsequent fire-bombing of churches, Dr Mahathir Mohamad said:

"This controversy actually began when I was Prime Minister. The Cabinet at the time held the opinion that its use in the Bible is a sensitive matter. Sensitive matters such as this cannot be resolved by simply referring to the law."

According to the Herald judgement, "A mere statement by the Home Minister that the exercise of power was necessary on the ground of national security without adequate supporting evidence is not sufficient in law."

Mahathir also sees a hidden Christian agenda for wanting to use the Allah word.

"Perhaps the word 'Allah' is to equate Christianity with Islam so it is the worship of the same God. With this, acceptance of Christianity by Muslims can be so much easier. This translation is incorrect. In fact, the word 'Tuhan' should be used for God."

Like Mahathir, others have also suggested that Christians should use Tuhan to refer to God. However, this is flawed advice. The Bible often refers to God, especially in the Old Testament as the LORD God. In other words, this would have to be translated as Tuhan Tuhan. Not only will this sound silly, it is also bad grammar.

In Malay, a repetition of a noun renders in from a singular to a plural. In other words, Christians worship many gods; making it into a polytheistic religion; God forbid, nothing can be further from the truth. Let there be no confusion over this. The Bible is explicitly clear on the one-ness of God. This is clear in the Old testament book of Deuteronomy 6:4 and in the New Testament Gospel of Mark 12:29.

The fear of conversion out of Islam, especially to Christianity, is understandable. But the hysteria whipped up by the religious establishment and the ultra right wing is wholly unsubstantiated. The fact remains that the opposite appears to be true.

In Sabah alone there were 117,579 conversions to Islam from 1970 to 2009, according to official statistics.

Yet lies are repeatedly spread about massive conversions of Muslims to Christianity. Take for instance, the Mufti of Perak. His allegations have even riled some Muslims to the extent that the Sisters in Islam was prompted to issue a press statement on 6 November 2006 to refute his allegations.

It would not be right to put all the blame on Dr Mahathir. He was not the only Prime Minister to ban an indigenous language Bible. His successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, banned the Bup Kudus, the Iban Bible, while in his capacity as acting Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister. According to a research paper by Tsunashima-Miyake, Ikuko in early 2003, the ban was imposed on the Iban Bible by the Ministry of Home Affairs but was withdrawn within two months.

There is no reason for one party to hold the whole nation to ransom any longer. Thirty three years is long enough for people of other faiths to carry this cross. The present generation of believers don't even know the genesis of this plague but they inherit the pain all the same. It's time to bury past mistakes. It's time to bring forth reconciliation. Therein lies the redemption of our nation.

This is an extract from 'Allah' – more than a word (2010 Zomiky Media) used with permission.

Religious leaders in Asean

Posted: 06 Sep 2013 11:29 AM PDT

We once showed the world that Malaysia was a model modern Muslim country. Why can't we do it still?

Zaid Ibrahim, TMI

In Myanmar in the past year alone, more than 450 Muslims have died and 250,000 have been displaced, losing their homes because of religious-inspired violence. But Myanmar is not alone.

In the eastern part of Java, members of the Ahmadiyya community – a sect that the majority of Muslims do not regard as true believers – were hunted and their homes burnt down. They had to confess to their errant ways and renounce their "false beliefs" if they were to be allowed to return to their homes unharmed.

Indonesian Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali did not find it necessary to defend the right to religious freedom or to condemn the atrocities committed by Muslims against the Ahmaddiya.

Now, the notion that Indonesia is a modern Muslim country is beginning to be questioned by many observers. It is possible that this haven of religious tolerance will become like many other Muslim countries where sectarian violence and internal strife are commonplace.

In Thailand, the war between Muslim separatists and the mainly Buddhist Thais never seems to end, with brutal killings from both sides that invariably cause the loss of innocent lives sparing neither women nor children.

The political issues involved in southern Thailand are much more complex than the problems in Myanmar and Indonesia, but here too there is a lethal mix of politics, race and religion. Indeed, it seems that these three factors play a major role in the Asean region today.

In Malaysia, we fare no better. Although our religious authorities have lately limited their activities to monitoring and arresting Shi'ites and banning concerts and books, there have been enough signs of a growing intolerance that will endanger the wider public space with grave consequences.

The dispute over the use of the word "Allah" shows the lack of willingness on the part of many of Malay-Muslim leaders to lead by example and to exercise restraint, and these leaders appear to have been eager to inflame the situation for political gain.

The demolition of a surau because it was used (just once) as a place for meditation by some Buddhists is an example of high-handed action perpetrated by those in authority to show that they are prepared to be "drastic and uncompromising" when religious matters are involved – but the matter that led to the dispute was actually a small one that could have been easily resolved without drama and public recrimination.

All countries in Asean are pursuing economic growth and we all are in a race to be the richest and fastest-growing economy. And yet, we have paid little or no attention to the violence that will erupt and destroy us soon if we keep doing nothing.

If religious conflicts are not attended to firmly and quickly, and if governments do not make sure that those in charge of security, such as the Police and the Army, enforce the law impartially, then we will see turmoil on a scale unknown to us.

Elements in the Government of Myanmar seem to be encouraging the religious bigotry of the monk Ashin Wirathu, whose vigilantes are roaming the provinces provoking and looking for Muslims as their next victims.

In a BBC interview, Wirathu said that Muslims were dangerous and like attack dogs, and that Myanmarese women were not safe when these Muslims are around. When a Government approves of such hate speech from a community leader, the country will break down sooner or later.

In Malaysia, the Prime Minister must not let his Ministers and Muslim leaders behave like Wirathu. Leaders must not condemn other religious practices and show utter disregard for the rights of others to believe and practise their faiths.

Speech and action motivated by hate must be dealt with promptly by the Police, who must not be seen to be biased. As a country that is quickly developing, Malaysia must set good examples for other Asean countries. Global indices relating to tolerance and community harmony are just as important as those dealing with competitiveness, economic growth and good governance.

Sabtu, 7 September 2013

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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