[lg policy] Malaysia: Let ’s pray for understanding

[Harold Schiffman]

Let’s pray for understanding
ON THE BEAT
By WONG CHUN WAI


Disputes over the use of ‘Allah’ and the seizure of Bibles have
contributed to ill will against the Government. Such action is seen as
infringing on the rights of non-Muslims to profess their religion. YOU
can download the entire Bible, whether in Bahasa Malaysia or Bahasa
Indonesia, from the Internet. But to publish the Bible in the national
language is a problem as it is restricted. Churches that have tried to
import the Bahasa Indonesia version have found it to be a hurdle too.
The crux of the problem is the use of the word “Allah” in the Bible in
the Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia versions. That has led to the
current controversy over the confiscation of 15,000 Bibles in Bahasa
Indonesia in recent months.

The Government and religious authorities have pointed out that it has
been a long practice in Malaysia that the word “Allah” in reference to
God is used only by Muslims.
The churches, in turn, have said that they too used the word hundreds
of years ago as Malay was the lingua franca of the region. At a
meeting with Home Ministry officials last week, Rev Father Andrew
Lawrence, the editor of Catholic Herald, drew attention to a
Malay-Latin dictionary published in 1631 which showed the translation
for “Allah” and a Catholic prayer book published in 1894 brought over
from Hong Kong.

In short, the word has been used outside the Muslim context for some
400 years. In Malacca, the word had been frequently used by Peranakan
Christians during prayers for a long time. The Sikhs have also
reportedly said they use the word in their prayers. The Government’s
concern is this – the frequent use of the word “Allah” may lead to
confusion among Muslims and may arouse sensitivity. Islamic scholars
in Malaysia have also argued their case over the word “Allah” to
justify why it should be restricted to Muslims.

Group pressure

Issues of conversion and tussles over bodies of deceased converts (for
burial), custody disputes and forcible separation have frequently led
to high emotions in this country. We should not be too quick to
dismiss these concerns as the security of the country should never be
compromised. The Home Ministry is doing its job and it has a
responsibility to uphold. The ministry, too, faces tremendous pressure
from the powerful Muslim groups that are also pushing their agenda. It
has certainly not been easy for the federal government in the context
of the growing political clout of PAS and the fight for the Malay
majority votes.

The other banned words for Christian publications are solat (prayer),
kaabah (Islam’s holiest shrine in Mecca) and Baitullah (House of God).
These, however, are not used in Christian literature. Still, the
Government has to consider the growing spiritual needs of a large
section of young non-Muslims who are more comfortable with the
national language. This is the impact of the national language policy
where young Malaysians are now finding it much easier to read in
Malay, whether Bahasa Malaysia or Bahasa Indonesia, than English.

It is perplexing that the Bahasa Malaysia Bible has to be classified
under Section 22 of the Internal Security Act as a document
prejudicial to national security. It is ridiculous that the Holy
Scripture should be put into that category.  It must also be pointed
out that while almost anything can be found on the Internet, in the
rural parts of Sabah and Sarawak where basic infrastructure is still
an issue, let alone Internet connections, the Bahasa Indonesia Bible
is badly needed. It is good that Home Ministry officials, including
staff from the Publication and Quranic Texts, took time to listen to
Bro Lawrence at a meeting arranged by Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun
Hussein’s aides Datuk Lau Yeng Peng and Datuk Michael Chong.

Chong, who heads the MCA Public Service and Com­plaints Department, is
an adviser to the minister. He is also a Catholic. Such engagement
between church bodies and the ministry should be held regularly to
allow both sides to understand each other’s needs.

Dealing with bigotry

Hishammuddin must be commended for clearing the air with his statement
that the printing permit of Catholic Herald, the country’s only
Catholic publication, has not been revoked. He said Catholic Herald
still had its permit to print its weekly newsletter in Bahasa
Malaysia, English, Chinese and Tamil. We hope the permit to print in
Kadazan would be approved eventually too. Why should barriers be
placed for Kadazans who want to learn about their faith in their
native language? It is certainly unconstitutional. The perception is
that Catholic Herald has to fight its case annually to get its
printing permit renewed. Why should it have to go through this
annually?

Delays in renewing and seizures of Bibles have contributed to the
backlash against the Government. It is unnecessary and would be
perceived by fair-minded Malaysians as infringing on the rights of
non-Muslims to profess their religion. At the state level, Protestants
continue to struggle over church buildings with most congregations
having to pray in office complexes, which are hardly ideal locations
for those in search of peace and calm.  Churches often encounter
difficulties dealing with some bigoted officials at local authorities
who seem to impose their religious bias even when politicians have
given their support. God surely does not need or want us to compete
for His attention.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/11/15/focus/5116043&sec=focus

-- 
**************************************
N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to
its members
and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner
or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents.
Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal.
(H. Schiffman, Moderator)

For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to
https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/
listinfo/lgpolicy-list
*******************************************

_______________________________________________
This message came to you by way of the lgpolicy-list mailing list
lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu
To manage your subscription unsubscribe, or arrange digest format: https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/lgpolicy-list