OCTOBER 11, 2013
If the 1.6 million Bumiputera Christians in Sabah and Sarawak are
not allowed to use the word "Allah" to refer to God, they would still
do so, said two Christian church associations today.
In
a joint statement, the Sabah Council of Churches and the Association of
Churches Sarawak called on the powers-that-be not to allow religious bigotry,
racism and extremism to be perpetuated and poison the nation.
The
appeal comes just days before the Court of Appeal rules on Monday whether the
Catholic weekly newspaper, the Herald, can use the word "Allah" in
its Bahasa Malaysia section.
In the statement, the churches stated that Christians in Sabah and Sarawak, who
make up two thirds of the Malaysian Christian community, worship in Bahasa
Malaysia and have been referring to God as "Allah" for hundreds of
years.
This
was even before Malaysia was formed in 1963, where the foundation of its
formation was on the basis that there would be no restrictions placed on other
religions even though Islam was named the official religion of the country.
Describing
it as a tragedy that this foundation was progressively being undermined and
eroded, they cautioned that any attempt to hinder the use of the word Allah
would instantly turn "native Bumiputeras into law-breakers in the very
land where they are sons of the soil”.
As
such, they called on all quarters to practice mutual acceptance and honour each
other's religious practices, beliefs, precepts and doctrines.
A
ban on the usage of the word in the Herald, they pledged, will not stop the
churches from using the word.
They
said that the Bumiputera churches will continue to use the Bahasa Malaysia
bible wherein the word "Allah" is contained, calling it fundamental
to the profession and practice of the Christian faith.
Describing
any move to ban the word as "unacceptable", the churches said, would
amount to a serious breach of Malaysia's foundation on religion and religious
freedom. – October 11, 2013.
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