Words of Faith Inflame Malaysia

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Malaysian government announced that certain Arabic words such as "Allah" cannot beused by non-Muslim and Indians feel that India should rename its cities like Ahmedabad,Aligarh, Allahabad etc. in view of the fundamentalist nature of muslims to avoid future bloodshed. Not only just Allah, Salat etc but the entire Arabic vocabulary should bedeclared Islamic and not allowed to be used by infidels and this should apply to Indiatoo. After all India is a land of infidels. We cannot allow Allah's language to be defiled by infidels.editor Words of faith inflame MalaysiaBy Baradan KuppusasmyJan 10, 2008KUALA LUMPUR - In a move that threatens to further inflame already mountingreligious and ethnic tensions, the Malaysian government announced that certain Arabicwords such as "Allah" cannot be used in the literature, gospel and speeches of non-Muslim faiths.Three other commonly used words ordered excluded from non-Muslim lexicon are"

Baitullah

" (House of God), "

solat

" (prayer) and "

Kaabah

" (sacred house). The decisionhas sent shockwaves through the country's Christian, Sikh and Hindu communities,which for centuries have liberally borrowed Arabic words in their religious practices.Many see the government decision as an infringement on their constitutionallyguaranteed religious freedoms. While Malaysia's charter says that Islam is the "religion of the federation" and that other faiths are freely allowed, non-Muslims increasingly fear freedom of worship is being curtailed by officials influenced by a resurgent politicalIslam."Only Muslims can use [the word] Allah. It's a Muslim word. It's from the Arabiclanguage. We cannot let other religions use it because it will confuse people," deputyminister for internal security Johari Baharum told the press in explaining the rationale for the controversial decision. "We cannot allow this use of 'Allah' in non-Muslim publications; nobody except Muslims [can use it]. The word 'Allah' is published by theCatholics. It's not right," he said.But followers of Sikhism - which borrows heavily from both Islam and Hinduism andalso uses the word Allah to refer to god - are particularly upset over the ban. "We haveused the terms 'Allah' and '

Rahim

' [most merciful] extensively in our writings and prayersto refer to God. The word Allah is used in our holy scripture," Malaysian GurdwaraCouncil chief Harcharan Singh told the media."Sikhs have used these terms for centuries and they are part of the Punjabi language westill use today," he said, explaining the dilemma for followers of the faith, who are

distinguished by their turbans and beards. "How are we going to fulfill our religiousobligation if commonly used words are reserved for Muslims - I really don't know wherewe are heading as a nation with decisions like this," he said.Compounding the confusion, church leaders have now filed a lawsuit against PrimeMinister Abdullah Badawi and the government for banning the import of Christian publications that contain the word Allah. The suit has asked for a court ruling against anyfaith having exclusive right to the use of any particular word. The case will be closelywatched by Malaysians and foreigners, including investors who fear that the country isslowly sliding into a Taliban-style theocracy.Although filed on December 10 by the Sidang Injil Borneo, the leading church in Sabahon Borneo island, it is also supported by Malaysia's estimated two million Christians.Malaysia's religious divide exploded into the open after hundreds of thousands of Hindusdemonstrated on November 25 demanding a larger share of the national wealth and anend to state-backed Hindu temple demolitions. Muslim fears that Christians have ulterior motives in using Arabic words appear to be at the core of the government move."There is fear that the use of Arabic words common to Muslims and Christians aids proselytizing," said a Muslim cleric who asked not to be identified. "Muslims have longfeared Christian proselytizing and the fear surfaced strongly after the Lina Joy case," thecleric added, referring to the case of Malay woman Azalina Jailani who converted toChristianity and was then subjected to a brutal legal battle that ended last year with thehighest federal court ruling that the country's Muslims cannot legally leave their faith.Since then other cases have flared up between Muslims and non-Muslims involvingissues such as religious conversion, division of property and claims over dead bodies andthe rites for their disposal. Neither the courts nor the political establishment, fearful of a backlash from conservative Muslims, have offered a just or lasting solution to the spikingtensions.To quell Muslims' apprehensions, church leaders have explained that disputed Arabicwords are used only in Christian publications that are exclusively used by non-Muslimsand further that the words are used in sermons inside churches. It is considered an offenceto proselytize among Muslims and punishment may include a fine or jail term.Instances of Muslims converting to other religions are rare compared with the some 7,000non-Muslims who convert to Islam annually. In addition, a large state-funded Muslim bureaucracy assists converts to Islam, taking care of their welfare and helping them adjust psychologically to their new faith.Meanwhile, church leaders say the ban on the use of certain Arabic words is hurting thecountry's international image as a moderate and inclusive plural society. In a statement,the Christian Federation of Malaysia expressed "deep disappointment and regret" at thegovernment's decision. "The words predate Islam and it is wrong to bar others from usingthem in private worship and internal Christian publications," said the federation's

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