Malaysian row over word for 'God'

[Harold Schiffman]

Malaysian row over word for 'God'

A church and Christian newspaper in Malaysia are suing the government
after it decreed that the word "Allah" can only be used by Muslims. In
the Malay language "Allah" is used to mean any god, and Christians say
they have used the term for centuries.
Opponents of the ban say it is unconstitutional and unreasonable. It
is the latest in a series of religious rows in largely Muslim
Malaysia, where minority groups claim their rights are being eroded. A
spokesman for the Herald, the newspaper of the Catholic Church in
Malaysia, said a legal suit was filed after they received repeated
official warnings that the newspaper could have its licence revoked if
it continued to use the word. "We are of the view that we have the
right to use the word 'Allah'," said editor Rev Lawrence Andrew.

'Unlawful'

The Sabah Evangelical Church of Borneo has also taken legal action
after a government ministry moved to ban the import of religious
children's books containing the word. In a statement given to Reuters
news agency, the church said the translation of the bible in which the
word Allah appears has been used by Christians since the earliest days
of the church. There has been no official government comment but
parliamentary opposition leader Lim Kit Siang said the decision to ban
the word for non-Muslims on security grounds was "unlawful". "The term
'Allah' was used to refer to God by Arabic-speaking Christians before
Arabic-speaking Muslims existed," he said. Religious issues are highly
sensitive in Malaysia, which has a 60% Muslim population.

Religious freedom is guaranteed in the law but minority groups have
accused the Muslim Malay majority of trying to increase the role of
Islam in the country.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7163391.stm

Published: 2007/12/28 17:51:23 GMT




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