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Catholic magazine to continue with lawsuit on Allah

January 5th, 2008
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I'm confused. What does the minister mean by:
 

Deputy Security Minister Mohamad Johari Baharum told AFP that the Herald should comply with the government order.

"We approved the permit. Now the weekly should comply with the government decision not to use the word Allah," he said.

Wonder why the permit did not mention such restrictions, but a Cabinet decision is needed, which was done BEFORE the permit being issued?  IEither issuance of permit and cabinet decision is not govt decision? I'm sooo confused.

Read earlier articles on this case here:
 
 
 
 
 

Herald: Lawsuit on 'Allah' to proceed

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/76701
Jan 4, 08 5:37pm

Catholic weekly Herald said it would press on with a lawsuit against the government in the wake of a cabinet ban on the use the word 'Allah' days after its printing permit was renewed.

Deputy Security Minister Mohamad Johari Baharum told AFP that the Herald should comply with the government order.

"We approved the permit. Now the weekly should comply with the government decision not to use the word Allah," he said.

Authorities on Sunday allowed the Herald to continue to print, after earlier threatening to revoke its licence in a row over its use of the word 'Allah'.

The publishers then assumed that they could use the word Allah, or God, which is used by church leaders when they deliver sermons in Malay or in the Malay language articles section of the 28-page newspaper.

Editor Father Lawrence Andrew had earlier said the paper would still press ahead with its lawsuit filed last month to challenge the state order banning it from using the word Allah.

"We will not withdraw the lawsuit," he said.

Andrew also said that the newspaper used the word Allah in its first issue for 2008 dated Jan 6.

Cabinet decision

Abdullah Mohamad Zain, minister in the Prime Minister's Department said the cabinet at its meetings on Oct 18 and Nov 1 last year decided that the word Allah could only be used by Muslims to avoid confusion.

Abdullah said non-Muslims should use the word God ('Tuhan' in Malay) instead, although the word Allah has been used in the Malay-language Bible for centuries.

"The use of the word Allah by other religions may arouse sensitivity and create confusion among Muslims," he was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper today.

Malaysian commentators have sounded alarm over the growing "Islamisation" of the country and the increasing polarisation of the three main ethnic communities, which mix much less than in the past.

In recent weeks there have been controversies over the construction of the world's tallest Taoist Goddess of the Sea statue on Borneo island and destruction of Hindu temples by local authorities.

The Herald, a tabloid-sized newspaper, is circulated among the country's 850,000 Catholics with articles written in English, Chinese, Tamil and Malay.

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Sikhs use Allah as well

January 5th, 2008
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'Allah': What about us? ask Sikhs
Fauwaz Abdul Aziz | Jan 4, 08 1:55pm

For centuries, Sikhs have used the words ‘Allah’ to refer to God as well as the Arabic terms ‘iman’ and ‘ibadat’ for faith and worship.

Following the government’s ban against the usage of purportedly ‘Islamic’ terms by non-Muslims, what will happen to the practice of the Sikh religion in Malaysia?

This was among the question raised today by Malaysian Gurdwara Council head Harcharan Singh following reports that the cabinet had decided against allowing the use of the term Allah by those practicing religions other than Islam.

“We have used the terms Allah and Rahim (Most Merciful), for example, extensively in our writings and in our prayers to refer to the One God. The word Allah is used in our main holy scripture.

"Sikh gurus in India have used these terms for centuries, they have become part of the Punjabi language, and we are still using them today,” said Harcharan when contacted.

Sikhs also use the word ‘Khuda’ for God, he noted in reference to the term used, among others, by Bangladeshi Muslims.

“In addition to these words, we also use the terms 'iman' and 'ibadat' among the many other words (that are used by Muslims),” added Harcharan, whose organisation represents Sikhs in Malaysia.

“If the word Allah has been banned for use by non-Muslims, what’s going to happen to Sikhs and the practice of their religion?” he asked.

Harcharan’s (photo) comments follow on the heels of a decision announced by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdulllah Mohd Zin yesterday that the cabinet had disallowed Catholic publication Herald from using the words Allah (God), solat (prayer), Kaabah and baitullah (House of God) in its weekly’s Bahasa Malaysia section.

Abdullah, who oversees Islamic religious affairs, was reported today as having said the prime minister had directed him to clarify the matter so that the public would not be confused.

“One of the reasons given to uphold the restriction is because that it has long been the practice of this country that the word Allah refers to God according to the Muslim faith,” said Abdullah according to the Star.

It was only proper for other religions to use the word God and not Allah when referring to their God in respective beliefs, he added.

Poser for the government
Harcharan pointed out that the usage by Sikhs of Arabic and Persian terms normally used by Muslims is understandable given, among other facts, that Sikhism founder Guru Nanak had traveled extensively throughout Muslim lands.

Nevertheless, the issue raises a poser for the government, said Harcharan.

“I don’t know whether the basis of the government’s ban on the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims is political or religious. But if in today’s age of globalisation we are stopping people of one religion from using the words ‘belonging’ to another, I don’t know where we are heading,” he said.

Herald had earlier faced proscription following the Internal Security Ministry’s directive for it to refrain from using the word Allah in its weekly’s Bahasa Malaysia section.

Herald was later informed it’s permit had been renewed, with its editor Father Lawrence Andrew saying he had received a letter indicating it can resume printing without any restrictions.

Notwithstanding, the publisher has filed a writ of summons in the Kuala Lumpur High Court to seek declarations of use of the word Allah.

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temple chairmen to meet khir toyo

December 31st, 2007
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Khir to meet all Hindu temple chairmen this Friday

BERNAMA

 
 

KUALA LUMPUR, MON:

SELANGOR MB Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo will be meeting the chairmen of all Hindu temples in the state this Friday to discuss problems affecting the places of worship.

Malaysian Hindu Council chairman Datuk R. Nadarajah said the meeting would take place at Batu Caves on Friday and about 800 chairmen of Hindu temples throughout Selangor were expected to attend it.

“We will use this opportunity to discuss with him problems affecting Hindu temples and hope that he will be able to assist us in resolving them,” Nadarajah told reporters this today.

He said a memorandum on the problems affecting Hindu temples would also be handed over to Khir.

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Guru Nanak’s Birthday

December 27th, 2007
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Sikhs mark Guru Nanak's birth

source

RAWANG: Month-long pray-ers to commemorate Guru Nanak's 538th birthday were held at one of the oldest Sikh temples in Malaysia.
Thousands of devotees flocked to the Nanaksar Temple from morning till evening to attend prayers for the Sikh founder.

"Hundreds of devotees came to attend the prayers and volunteered to cook for devotees throughout the month," temple president Ma- hinder Kaur said.

During the month, the Sikhs' holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, would be recited non-stop while religious hymns were sung during the evenings.

Other activities held were a blood donation drive and a procession of the holy book through Serendah town.
Guru Nanak, born in Punjab, preached on equality of all human beings, including women, and the concept of one God.

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churches to continue using Allah

December 24th, 2007
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After Johari said the word is exlusive to them only, the Church responds. Basically, the church is telling that (i) the use of "Allah" is widespread all over the world, (ii) the newsletter is for Catholics and not sold in public, (iii) the ministry's decision in unconstitutional, and (iv) the churches will continue to use the word "Allah".

Church leaders explain use of 'Allah'
source
 Joseph Masilamany

PETALING JAYA (Dec 23, 2007): The use of the word “Allah” to refer to God among Christians has been widely practised for generations in many countries and it is not meant to offend or confuse the Muslims, Christian leaders said on Sunday.

Father Lawrence Andrew, the editor of local Catholic weekly The Herald, told theSun that its Bahasa Malaysia segment catered to the many Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Catholics in the country.

“The newspaper is only circulated among Catholics and not sold at newsstands and neither is the paper issued to Muslims,” he stressed.

He said The Herald was informed by the Internal Security Ministry in a letter dated Dec 10 to stop its Bahasa Malaysia segment. He added that the letter said this would be so when the publication permit is granted. The annual permit expires on Dec 31 and the publication has yet to receive the renewed permit.

Lawrence said the term “Allah” used by Christians or in Christian literature was not intended to offend Muslims or create confusion. We follow the Bible, he said. “The Malay-language Bible uses ‘Allah’ for God and Tuhan for Lord.”

He said since the early 19th century, Catholics in Malaya had prayer books in the Malay language and “Allah” was used to refer to God. The Maltese Catholics also use the term “Allah” to refer to God and so do Christians in Indonesia, Pakistan and the Middle East.

There are more than 850,000 Catholics in Malaysia, and The Herald has a circulation of 12,000 and a readership of 50,000. Other than the English segment, it also has sections in Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil to cater to the multi-racial and multi-lingual make-up of the Malaysian Catholic population.

Hence it is common for some Catholic religious celebrations to be conducted in Bahasa Malaysia during the Sunday worship, and even on special national occasions such as Merdeka Day.    

Lawrence said the ministry had no right to interfere in the internal management of the church, in accordance with the Federal Constitution.Quoting Article 11 (3) A, he said the constitution allowed every religious group to manage its own affairs. He said the ministry’s decision to abolish The Herald‘s Bahasa Malaysia segment was unconstitutional and had no legal standing.

The weekly is still in talks with the authorities to renew its permit, and would appeal if the government refuses to issue the permit.

The general-secretary of the Council of Churches Malaysia Rev Herman Shastri told theSun each religious community was endowed with the right to translate its respective holy scriptures. 

“Christians living in Muslim-majority countries are using the term ‘Allah’ in reference to God during their liturgical celebrations. Even if the authorities disallow the use of certain words, the churches will continue to use them because it has to do with our sacred scriptures,” he said.     

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