Maglin, the Umno stooge, asks the Catholic community to open to dialogue

It takes two to dialogue — The Malaysian Insider

September 19, 2010

SEPT 19 — Newly-minted Information Deputy Minister Datuk Maglin Dennis D’Cruz took some time to get into the news cycle but did a fine job yesterday asking the Catholic community to keep their hearts open to dialogue with the government in addressing any problems.

National news agency Bernama, which is under his ministry’s watch, reported him as saying that through these dialogues, the government would have better understanding of the needs of the community.

“No one will know our needs if we do not explain or tell them,” he said at the St Mary Catholic Society’s dinner in conjunction with its centenary celebration here.

That really isn’t an issue or a problem, dear deputy minister.

While you might not have alluded to any problems, the biggest issue this year began just a day before New Year’s Eve when the High Court in Kuala Lumpur agreed that the Catholic Church has a constitutional right to use the word Allah to describe the Christian God in its Bahasa Malaysia publication.

The government through the Attorney-General’s Chambers have since applied and received a stay of execution pending their appeal to a higher court. There has been no date set for the appeal and the High Court decision remains a paper victory.

Be that as it may, what use is a dialogue after the government unilaterally decided that the Roman Catholic Church cannot use the word Allah in its publication? Was there a dialogue before the decision was made?

After all, the publication is clearly marked for non-Muslims.

These are the questions one expects a minister or deputy minister to ask before shooting from the hip and advising a community to be open to dialogue.

A dialogue is only possible among two equals. Otherwise it is a monologue.

D’Cruz must see the chronology of the issue before asking the community to open its heart to a dialogue. There was never a problem until the executive decided it was a problem, as far as the Allah issue is concerned.

Even then, it isn’t a problem with Muslims outside the ruling government, according to Parit Buntar MP Mujahid Yusof Rawa when he read excerpts from his book “Menuju PAS baru” at the Central Market Annexe today.

A dialogue is great. But D’Cruz asked the wrong party to open its heart to a dialogue. He should instead tell that to the government that he serves.

CIA may take advantage of Allah issue: PPIM

'ALLAH' CONTROVERSY Recent attacks on places of worship in Malaysia might have connections to other religious conflicts in the world.

The above comment was made by Malaysian Islamic Consumer Association (PPIM) President Ma'amor Osman who was concerned that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) may take advantage of the Allah issue in Malaysia.

He also said that Herald's motive was to test how far the government would go to defend the special status of Muslims and Islam.

Interesting! Now the CIA may be involved! Maybe CIA is working with Herald to 'test' the government. I guess Ma'amor 'concern' is based on nothing but a figment of his own imagination!

Of nasi lemak and Allah and 'Allah-Ayah' analogy

'ALLAH' CONTROVERSY The debate over using the word continues to simmer in the background as other more urgent matters engage the public's mind.

If Muslims are so careful about choosing halal food, how could they possibly be confused over the use of the word 'Allah', argues Asri Mohd Zainal Abidin, the maverick former Perlis Mufti. Speaking to Malaysiakini, Asri said that for Muslims, when it came to nasi lemak prepared by non-Muslims, they would not buy it because they were sensitive about their food."

Asri added by sayingthat of it was just nasi lemak and they would not buy it , they would certainly not use Allah to refer to the Christian God, they would refer to the Islamic God.

Well, I have Malay colleagues who have bought Chinese New Year cookies from my Chinese colleague and I wonder to myself, 'Wow! They don't mind not know if they were 'halal' or not!' ;)

Asri is right. I don't think Muslims can be confused easily just as Marina Mahathir had blogged , saying, 'Confident people do not get confused.'

Below is a good 'Allah-Ayah' analogy that is food for thought! (Originally posted here in this blog):

A man came home from work and his children ran to him and called out ‘Ayah! Ayah!’.

His neighbor got very upset and said to him, “Can you please tell your children not to call you ‘Ayah’?”

The man asked, “Why?”

The neighbor retorted, “Because my children call me ’Ayah’ too. They might get confused and mistake you to be their father.”

Then the man told his neighbour, are you not ashamed to say that your children do not know who is their 'Ayah'? So you are saying that by using the word 'Ayah' , your children will call me ayah too without knowing who is their father.

The neighbour said "Yes", and only he should be allowed to use the word 'Ayah'.

The man said, "Then there is something wrong in what you are teaching your children. They are not sure and do not know who their 'Ayah' is."

ALLAH-AYAH ANALOGY

A man came home from work and his children ran to him and called out ‘Ayah! Ayah!’.

His neighbor got very upset and said to him, “Can you please tell your children not to call you ‘Ayah’?”

The man asked, “Why?”

The neighbor retorted, “Because my children call me ’Ayah’ too. They might get confused and mistake you to be their father.”

Then the man told his neighbour, are you not ashamed to say that your children do not know who is their 'Ayah'? So you are saying that by using the word 'Ayah' , your children will call me ayah too without knowing who is their father.

The neighbour said "Yes", and only he should be allowed to use the word 'Ayah'.

The man said, "Then there is something wrong in what you are teaching your children. They are not sure and do not know who their 'Ayah' is."

By the way, this joke was sent to me by a non-Muslim-non-Malay-non-Christian-non-Catholic friend. In short, a Buddhist.

Student claims trial to 'offensive' Facebook posting

UPDATED 12.10PM A 'not guilty' plea was recorded from Tasyrif Tajuddin before the PJ Sessions Court Judge Aslam Zainuddin who allowed bail of RM6,000 with one surety this morning.

Two days after being remanded, Tasyrif Tajuddin, a film studies student with the government-owned Aswara National Academy of Arts and Heritage in Kuala Lumpur, was produced in the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court today, where he claimed trial to allegedly posting offensive remarks on social networking site Facebook.
He was charged with 'making threatening comments with the intent to cause harm' and was represented by counsel Mohd Radzlan Jalaludin, while DPP Amirah Mohamed Yusoff prosecuted. Wearing a blue t-shirt, Tasyrif looked weary when he was first brought to court. His parents and college-mate were present to give support. An Aswara college official was also present.
(Source: Malaysiakini)

Is Pm Najib having some kind of aberration?

PM Najib says church attacks "minor aberration"
RIYADH : Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said attacks on churches in his country were a "minor aberration" that did not reflect the feelings of most Malaysian Muslims, in an interview published on Sunday.

"This is a minor aberration. National unity and mutual respect between various racial and religious communities in Malaysia has been a cornerstone of Malaysia for a long time," he said in the interview with Okaz newspaper and published in its English-language sister, the Saudi Gazette.

"It should not be seen as a widespread attempt by the larger Muslim community to attack churches in Malaysia," he said.

Several churches in predominantly Muslim Malaysia have been attacked after a court ruled on December 31 that non-Muslims could use "Allah" as a translation for "God."

Nine churches were hit with Molotov cocktails, splashed with black paint and had windows smashed with stones, triggering tighter security at places of worship nationwide.

The offices of lawyers for Malaysia's Roman Catholic Church were also burgled and ransacked.

Najib downplayed the attacks.

"I would like to clarify that only one church was burnt and only its administrative portion was set ablaze," he told the Saudi newspaper.

"The others were minor incidents, which do not really constitute burning at all. And in some cases various objects were reportedly thrown into the compounds of some churches."

Najib also questioned a US travel advisory for Malaysia that warned of possible attacks on foreigners.

"I am quite surprised they came up with the travel advisory. We have no credible information regarding the perceived threat," he said.

On Friday, the US State Department issued a travel alert advising Americans to "consider the risks associated with travel to eastern Sabah in Malaysia due to the threat from both terrorist and criminal groups."

Najib was speaking while on a short trip to Saudi Arabia, where he met King Abdullah and other top officials and visited educational institutions.

- AFP/ir

Definition of aberration:
- a state or condition markedly different from the norm
- a disorder in one's mental state
- an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image

Muslims must avoid being totally immersed in Facebook, Twitter: Rais

2010/01/16

SEREMBAN,Sat: Malaysians, especially Muslims, must avoid being totally immersed in the internet culture, especially Facebook and Twitter, said Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim. He added that facilities like internet cannot be accepted totally because it is a form of business introduced by the West and we are just users.

"We are not saying that they cannot use Facebook or Twitter but when using such facilities they must upkeep the values taught by Islam, Buddhism or Christianity to maintain our culture," he told reporters after opening a Seminar on the 1Malaysia concept here today.

He added that Malaysians who used internet services on social networking sites should be careful with what they see and hear.

"We must be strong in our believes and culture because the identity and image of our country depends on us. They are just selling Facebook, Twitter, L-Band and various other services, even through space, as a product but we do not do such business. We accept all this in a state of cultural shock," he said.

He chided some Malaysians who belittled those who were no savvy of the Facebook and Twitter culture.

"We should not be quick to condemn or look down on those who do not use Facebook. Newspapers are still relevant, so is Facebook, but do not be carried away with everything and disregard the old system," he said.

Rais also praised the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (SKMM) for its success in tracking down a student from the National Arts Culture and Heritage Academy for posting a public safety threatening comment on Facebook about the recent spate of attacks on churches while discussing the ongoing “Allah” controversy on the popular social networking website.

"Syabas to SKMM for its action in nailing those who used Facebook, Twitter and SMS for the wrong reasons. As a former analyze of the law in the country, I wish to advise the people that they cannot escape from the law for their actions," he said.

Speaking of 1Malaysia, Rais said the Information Department had also conducted a survey on the people''s understanding of the 1Malaysia concept and found 62 per cent of Malaysians understood the 1Malaysia concept.

He added that the government would initiate more programmes featuring the 1Malaysia concept, especially for students. -- Bernama

(Source: NST Online)

I concur with Rais. He should seriously look into the Facebook group ‘Menentang penggunaan nama Allah oleh golongan bukan Muslim’ that are planting the seeds of extremism and discord in young minds. The Muslims in this group are certainly totally immersed in fanning the fire of hatred even to the point of calling for jihad.

Read more here @ Centre for Policy Initiatives:

Immense organisation running this Umno-linked Facebook group!

Allah row: Protect lawyers and judges

In the wake of the acts of arson and break-ins over the ‘Allah’ controversy, Amnesty International has called the government to take ‘decisive steps’ to...

The human rights group said the government must ensure the physical safety of lawyers and judges in the case of Catholic weekly Herald and those seeking to intimidate them should be prosecuted. The call was made following an incident on Jan 14 when Herald lawyer Derek Fernandez found that his Petaling Jaya office had been ransacked.

Let's hope and pray that High Court judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan whose controversial ‘Allah’ ruling that rocked the nation over who had rights to the term cited that the Home Minister and government’s actions had been illegal, unconstitutional, irrational and had failed to satisfy that it was a threat to national security, will be safe and sound.

Opposition also fuelled controversy - malaysiakini

I think this is good read for a 'balanced' view on the current crisis over the 'Allah' issue.

Opposition also fuelled controversy

The recent church bombings which brought such negative publicity is the culmination of a calculated attempt by morally bankrupt and ignorant politicians to shore up support from the Malay community.

Unfortunately in Malaysia, Islam has always been a political football to be kicked around unethically by unscrupulous and opportunistic leaders on both sides of the political divide to score points.

What is glaringly clear for the world to see is the ignorance in Malaysia over basic Islamic theology which would be laughable if it was not so tragic.

Despite the rhetoric of being an 'Islamic state' as claimed by Najib, despite the years of 'Islamisation' programmes promoted by Anwar Ibrahim in his incarnation as an Umno firebrand, despite the whole gamut of Islamic laws and Islamic organisations together with the outward appearances of being Islamic, the adherence to Islamic values and knowledge of basic Islamic theology is shockingly poor amongst many Malays based on the responses over the 'Allah' issue in the electronic and print media.

The justification for banning Christians from using the word 'Allah' has absolutely no Islamic historical or theological basis. This sorry episode has thrown into sharp relief the woefully deficient Islamic knowledge of the Malay masses who as a consequence are prone to easy manipulation and exploitation by the Muslim elite who wield power over them.

I beg to disagree with some quarters who feel it would better for the Catholic Church to 'swallow pride' and not to use the word Allah for the sake of peace. Should Catholics then be expected to jettison logic, historical and theological credence just to appease irrational bigots and cynical politicians who do not have any respect for the truth let alone Islamic theology?

It would be immoral to do so. One can argue that by showing an unshakeable resolve, the Catholic church would actually be educating Muslims in Malaysia about their Islamic faith and this should be welcome by all honest and rational Muslims.

The 'Father' of Malay Literature Munshi Abdullah translated the New Testament Bible into Malay in the 1800s and not surprisingly used the term Allah to refer to God. Thus it is not true that the references to Allah in the Malay Language Bible emanate from Indonesia only in recent years .

We have not only an indigenous Christian historical legacy of the usage of the term 'Allah' in the Malay language but also one corroborated by a venerated devout local Muslim scholar. This fact patently demolishes the claim that Allah has only been used in our country to denote a Muslim Malay God.

It is amusing to see the rush of denouncements and calls for inter-faith discussions in the aftermath of the church bombings by opposition Muslim leaders when they themselves contributed to the climate of intolerance, paranoia and misunderstanding amongst the Malays.

They shot down Abdullah Badawi's Inter-Faith Commission proposal by declaring that it would lead to usurpation of powers of the Shariah courts and the undermining of primacy of Islam in Malaysia.

Anwar has kept a studied silence

Anwar's lawyer in his current 'Qazaf' suit in the Shariah courts, Kamar Ainiah Kamaruzaman, made very derogatory and unsubstantiated allegations concerning the aims of the proposed Inter-faith Commission.

To those of us who do not 'mudah lupa', we remember the intemperate and intimidatory responses by prominent PAS and PKR members namely Salahuddin Ayub and Zulkifli Noordin who were clear rabble rousers who managed to scupper the inter-faith forums organised by Malik Imtiaz Sarwar as well as the Bar Council open forum on conversion to Islam of non- Muslim children by a newly converted Muslim spouse.

These oppositionists and their supporters violently ended the forum on the pretext of preserving the sanctity or 'kesucian' of Islam!

Zulkifli Noordin of PKR has been making very divisive and inflammatory comments against non-Muslims during his tenure as a member of Parliament but yet his party has failed to discipline him thus giving the impression that the Muslim leadership in PKR tacitly support his bigoted views. In fact he is Anwar Ibrahim's lawyer in his current suit against Saiful in the Shariah courts.

Anwar being true to form has kept a studied silence on all these simmering issues which could have helped diffuse the tension in the Muslim community which was being stoked by Umno over the past few years.

The Allah issue first surfaced about a year ago but Anwar kept a deafening silence and failed to provide moral leadership. This pattern of duplicitous silence has had a very damaging effect on his credibility.

Over the Mazu statue in Kudat, Anwar failed to comment on the stop work order. He could have denounced Abim's (an organisation he founded) view that the statue would 'desecrate' a mosque half a kilometer away but he chose not to.

When Lina Joy was denied her constitutional right to declare herself a Christian by the Federal Court, Anwar publicly showed his support for Judge Fairuz's judgement saying it was a 'fair judgement'.

Lina Joy, a Christian was instructed illogically by the Civil courts that she needed to get her religious status clarified by the Shariah Courts. Anwar concurred saying it was a matter of procedure and that we should have more confidence in the Shariah courts!

However, when the Shariah courts declared that Revathi a practising Hindu was a 'Muslim forever' and could not change her faith, Anwar kept a cowardly silence showing his unprincipled nature.

This is the man who lectures in the West about the compatibility of Islam with Secularism and freedom of conscience but in Malaysia adopts an unprincipled silence on these burning issues which go to the heart of what democracy, freedom of worship and conscience is all about.

Over the Allah issue, up till the very day before the planned protests on Friday, Anwar did not offer any clear or responsible leadership. He contributed to the tension in the air by talking about the issue being 'sensitive' and the 'legitimate' Muslim concerns about proselytisation.

How this could be a legitimate concern when proselytising is unconstitutional and that the Herald publication is only for internal circulation to fellow Catholics is mind boggling! Being a politician with strong Islamic credentials, he could have made an unequivocal statement that Allah from an etymological standpoint is a generic term for God and that from a Muslim theological standpoint Allah is the God of Jews, Christians and Muslims.

This he signally failed to do for reasons best known to him and as a consequence provided justification for Muslim fury over this debacle.

The Quran is replete with verses which attest to the fact Allah is the God of the Abrahamic faiths and any Muslim who reads the Quran will have no doubt about this. But instead in his interview with Malaysiakini, Anwar feigned ignorance and said he was not an authority but instead referred to Sheikh Qaradawi, a Middle Eastern cleric, who told him it was permissible for Christians to call God Allah.

Such moral cowardice! Incidentally, Sheikh Qaradawi has gained notoriety by giving legitimacy to suicide bombers. I concur with Zaid Ibrahim that in the Malaysian context this issue is 'too serious to be left to theologians'.

Why did Anwar have to go so far as the Middle East? If he now claims to be an ignoramus on basic Islamic tenets, then he could have sought advice from our venerated local Muslim spiritual leader Tok Aziz of PAS who from the very beginning when the Allah issue arose said it was acceptable for Christians to call God Allah.

If the BN government is wise and does not want to divide society further or damage Malaysia's international standing further, it would withdraw the appeal of the High Court judgement. It is not a matter of swallowing pride but of being a responsible custodian of the nation.

Why stubbornly dig itself and the nation into a hole when there is unequivocal etymological, historical and theological evidence supporting the use of the term Allah by Christians?

For all the Muslims who are confused over the Allah issue, let the Quran have the final word.

Chapter 2 Verse 139: "Why do you dispute with us about Allah when He is equally your Lord and our Lord? To us belong our actions, to you yours; and we are true to Him".

PM could not prevent religious conflct, now telling the media to do the job!

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has urged the media to adopt a cautious approach when dealing with opposition parties' statements, especially PAS, in view of the controversy over the use of the term 'Allah' by Catholic magazine Herald during a meeting with about 40 representatives from media organisations at Najib's office in Putrajaya yesterday, according to a report on therocknews.com - a Chinese daily news portal. It reported that Najib told the media organisations not to sensationalise the controversy, but instead stress the need for harmony to prevent religious conflict.

Ha...stress the need for harmony to prevent religious conflict, eh?

The need for harmony to prevent religious conflict, eh? Can meh? In the first place, PM himself confessed that he couldn't prevent people from protesting in the mosques. So, I wonder what prevention he is talking about!!!

Allah macam mana? Well, UM...you kNOw who started it...

Two days ago, I asked a Malay Muslim at the petrol kiosk that was one of my favourite 'pit stops', 'Allah macam mana?'

He answered, 'Saya tak kisah...'

'Mana boleh?! Mesti ada pendirian sendiri...' I said.

'Mereka suka lah, bakar gereja, bakar surau..' Of course, 'mereka' was in obvious reference to UM-well, you-kNOw who...This Malay guy reads the Harakah ok...good guy.

Yesterday, I posed the same question to an Indian Muslim at the mamak stall. He answered, 'Politicized...' Wah....I was impressed by his answer...in fact he said it was aimed at bringing the opposition down, especially Anwar, the opposition leader!

The Jakarta Post - Editorial: Allah for Malays only?

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 01/12/2010 9:15 AM | Opinion

It is indeed ridiculous that Indonesian religious leaders urged Indonesian Muslims not to follow the acts of some Malaysian Muslims who attacked and damaged several churches in their country following the disputes over the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims. The attempts of some Catholic priests here (in Indonesia) to play down the dispute as merely a language problem and express sympathy to the Malaysian government are also no less absurd. We expect them to be more willing to accept the facts no matter how bitter or embarrassing they are.

The statements of the religious elites, as quoted by The Jakarta Post on Monday, reflected a strong sense of self denial – if not ignorance – that implied that Indonesia has no religious conflict, nor attacks on place of worship. Just click on Google and you will easily find out how many churches have been burned and damaged in this country over the last few years, including very recently.

While it is true that freedom of religion and freedom of expression is much more guaranteed in Indonesia — Malaysia’s Constitution is discriminatory to non-Muslims and non-Malays — but the facts show that religious violence is much higher here than in the neighboring country. Therefore the above appeals are not based on true facts, but more on the willingness to portray that violence as a very rare practice here.

Showing sympathy by our religious leaders to the Malaysian government just because the government condemned the church attacks can also be misleading. It is clear the ruling government in Malaysia is the most responsible party in the violence. It was widely suspected, including by opposition parties and international media, that the government tried to use the sensitive issue between Muslims — by the Constitution, all Malays are Muslims — and non-Muslims to regain popularity there.

The Indonesian government is also the party most responsible for inter-religious conflicts in this country because of its refusal or inability to act firmly against law breakers. We can easily count the number of people who attacked places of worship and were punished. The police often seem powerless against such troublemakers for several reasons, including the cowardice of its generals to deal with people who use religious jargon to justify their barbaric acts. And like Malaysia, the government here often uses sensitive issues to divide people and cheaply boost its popularity.

Inter-religious dialogues are held only at the top level, while at the grassroots, people often feel they have no connection at all with their leaders. Only by having honest dialogue at all levels with sincerity and respect, will we be able to find and resolve the roots of the problems.

The problem in Malaysia is not just a linguistic problem, the roots are much deeper. And let us stop regarding others are worse than us. The church attacks are not exclusive to Malaysia. And to be honest, in many other parts of the world, mosques are also attacked by those who think their religion is superior to others.

NO ISA USED AGAINST 'ALLAH' PROTESTERS!

Why?

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, in anticipation of the protests to be held, said during a press conference :
"I will use everything that is necessary to make sure that the country is safe. ISA is not personal and political, but it is for security."

He knew it was coming yet he did nothing to preempt the situation. After all, isn't ISA a preemptive law? The country was unsafe last Friday. There was a climate of fear. People felt insecure. Why did he not use the ISA since he said he would use everything that was necessary? He had failed his job! Anyway, right from start, the government had already conceded defeat when the PM said he could not stop people from protesting. Powerless PM!

The Politics of 'Allah' - The Wall Street Journal

God means love in many places, but in Malaysia it can also mean politics. That's the takeaway from the United Malays National Organization-led government's attempt to quash the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslim groups.

At issue is the Catholic Herald's two-year court battle to use the A-word in its Malay-language edition—which it claims it needs to do because there's no other suitable word for "God" in Malay. Last week, the High Court overturned an arbitrary government ban. Yesterday, however, the church agreed to a stay of the decision—at the government's request—until the ruling can be appealed. So the Herald is once again muzzled.

Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail characterized the decision as "a matter of national interest," which implies that somehow Muslims across Malaysia would revolt if the Herald were allowed to reference God in another language. Never mind that Malaysians of many faiths have peacefully co-existed for decades.

The real reason UMNO is politicizing the issue and pandering to its conservative base may be to deflect attention from its own political vulnerabilities. The opposition coalition, led by Anwar Ibrahim, has gained popularity by touting a vision of a secular country in which all religions have equal rights. Even the opposition's Islamic partner, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party—which hasn't always supported liberal ideas—issued a statement Monday saying that the Herald's use of "Allah" is its constitutional right.

Prime Minister Najib Razak called the A-word controversy a "sensitive issue" Sunday. But by allowing his party to continue curtailing freedom of speech, he is only stirring tensions. What a disappointment for a man who ran for office promising to create "One Malaysia."

(Source: The Wall Street Journal)

Why get angry? People everywhere and Indonesia are using 'Allah'!

Those were the words coming from my Indonesian colleague when I showed him the news in Malaysiakini this morning:
Church fire-bombed ahead of protests
BREAKING NEWS The Metro Tabernacle church in Desa Melawati, Kuala Lumpur, has been fire-bombed in an attack that gutted its ground floor early this morning.

I told him, 'Exactly as you said.' Then, I explained to him that the issue was being politicised here in Malaysia and the politicians used it as a tool to advance their own agenda.

Then, my Indonesian colleague friend said matter-of-factly, 'Send them to Indonesia and we will KILL them.'

HAHAHAHA! I laughed not because killing was fun but at the way my Indonesia friend responded.

Razaleigh raps Umno, praises PAS - Umno the dinosaur!

'PAS is holding onto the more plural and moderate position while Umno is digging itself into an intolerant hardline position that has no parallel that...

Umno veteran leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who ticked off his party for failing to provide leadership in the row over the use of the term 'Allah' by non-Muslim, said today at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies' Regional Outlook Forum 2010, “In a milestone moment, PAS, the Islamic party, is holding onto the more plural and moderate position while Umno is digging itself into an intolerant hardline position that has no parallel that I know of in the Muslim world."

Najib: We can't stop people from protesting

UPDATED 12.32PM The premier said that the government cannot stop people from gathering at mosques tomorrow to protest over the "Allah" issue.

When asked if the government was practising double standards in handling demonstrations, Najib said, "We cannot stop them if they want to congregate in mosques."

Ok, lah. Valid reason.

So now everyone can congregate in masjid, kuil or gereja to protest anything as long as it will not spill over to "something more serious" as what PM said. YEAH!

'Allah' Divided

So many news, blogs, comments have 'mushroomed' after High Court judge Lau Bee Lan's decision to overturn the Home Ministry's ban on the use of the word 'Allah' in the Malay language version of Catholic weekly The Herald last Thursday.

Just take a look at all the screenshots of the news and its related articles taken from Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider and The Star Online:



(Click on images to go to sites)

'Allah' row: Dr M says law cannot solve it

The former premier disagrees with the government's attempt to seek a solution for the 'Allah' controversy through the courts.

For more info, just click on picture below to go to Che Det's blog:

Nik Aziz: Non-Muslims can use 'Allah'

Nik Aziz: Non-Muslims can use 'Allah'

By Mohd Zuharman

KOTA BARU, Jan 3 – PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat has come out in support of the Catholic weekly Herald use of ‘Allah’ to describe the Christian God in the national language, saying it was permissible for those following the Abrahamic faith.

But the popular cleric expressed worry that the word “Allah” could be abused by certain quarters, echoing growing sentiment of Muslim Malaysians aghast at the Dec 31 High Court ruling that permitted its use.

“Its just a fear it can be abused. That’s the worry,” the Kelantan mentri besar said today when commenting on the landmark ruling.

Justice Datuk Lau Bee Lan said in her oral judgment that the Herald had a constitutional right to use the word, touching off a controversy that has led some Muslim groups to protest the ruling.

The government has said it will appeal against the ruling. A group has already started a Facebook group to get the government to reverse the ruling.

However, others including influential cleric and former Perlis mufti Dr Asri Zainal Abidin, have supported the ruling, saying all are encouraged to follow Allah.

Speaking to reporters after launching the state Women, Family and Health Development Secretariat, Nik Aziz said the authorities, such as scholars, should have a dialogue with the Christian clergy over the issue.

“This is so that there is no confusion among the society.

“In fact, Islamic philosophy itself can be spread through such events,” he added.

The PAS Kelantan commissioner also said he was willing to attend such events if it was organised.

However, PAS Kelantan Council of Religious Scholars chief Datuk Mohammad Daud Iraqi declined to comment on the issue.

Instead, he said it was weaknesses in the government in monitoring the issue that has led to the controversy.

“This is not a new issue, it has gone on so long. The government should have looked specifically into the laws earlier on,” he added.

A google search on 'allah christian middle east' yields many results. Below is one of them:
Allah is the name of the true One God in the Arabic language. In the Hebrew language His name is Eloh, Elohim for respect. It is well known that when a word is borrowed from one language to another, its spelling and pronunciation is often altered. It is, therefore, reasonable to say that Eloh and Allah are names of the same Deity of Abraham believed by the three monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Islam is the most rigorously monotheistic religion among the three dedicated to the worship of Allah, never seen by a human eye. (Source: it's Islam share knowledge)

Even though Muslims, Jews and Christians are of Abrahamic faith, Christianity as a religion differs greatly from Islam and Judaism, chiefly on the belief in Jesus Chirst as God and the Son of God.