Should Christians be allowed to say ‘Allah’ in Malaysia?
Should Christians be allowed to say ‘Allah’ in Malaysia?
ICC Note: A recent court case over a Catholic newspaper’s use of the term ‘Allah’ has become a litmus test of tolerance in the multifaith country. Christians and Muslims in Malaysia have both long prayed to ‘Allah.’
.By Simon Montlake
4/21/10 Malaysia (Christian Science Monitor) – Father Andrew Lawrence pulls a fat red binder from a shelf inside his cramped office, where he edits a weekly Roman Catholic newspaper. Inside the binder are reams of documents from its decade-long dispute with Malaysia’s government over the right to refer to God as “Allah,” as Muslims do.
The “Allah” row stirs strong emotions here in part because it is as much about race and language – and politics – as it is about religion. It also exposes the historical divisions between west and east Malaysia, where the majority of the country’s roughly 1.4 million Roman Catholics live.
On Dec. 31, the Herald won a three-year battle in the High Court, which overturned a government ban on its use of “Allah.” The verdict sparked small protests by Malay Muslims and a spate of attacks on Catholic churches, a Sikh temple, and three mosques, allegedly by Muslim agitators.
The government has obtained an injunction and appealed the verdict, arguing that the ban is essential for national security.
For centuries, Christian Malay speakers have prayed to Allah, the Arabic word for God. In neighboring Indonesia, a majority Muslim country with a near-identical language, the use of “Allah” by Christians is uncontroversial, as it is across much of the Middle East.
“It isn’t complicated. We use it in our churches. It’s part of our prayers,” says Father Lawrence.
Opponents say that Christians can use other Malay words for their translations and should leave “Allah” for Muslims. “For me, ‘Allah’ shouldn’t be used by other religions. If they use ‘Allah,’ our kids might get confused,” says Nur Fadilla Zaaba, a resident.
The government has also used this argument, saying that it increases the risk of conversions of Muslims, which is illegal in Malaysia. The High Court rejected this and other similar arguments, pointing out that the Herald is sold only to Christians and “had never intended or caused any conflict, discord of misunderstanding” in its use of “Allah.”
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