KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s Islamic party (PAS) reiterated support for Christian compatriots in their fight to be given the right to use the word "Allah" in reference to God, the Australia Network News website reported on Thursday, December 17.
"I personally believe and PAS as well believe the way forward for a mutually respecting religious relationship, especially in a plural, multi-racial and multicultural society like Malaysia, is not to deny the right of others to use the name of Allah," Zulfikar Ahmad, a PAS official, said.
The use of the word Allah in Christian publications in the local Malay language has triggered a controversy in the Muslim-majority southeast Asian country since a local Catholic weekly, The Herald, used it in its Malay-language edition.
The government threatened to revoke the weekly's license if it continued printing the word.
It later allowed Christian publications to use some Muslim words, including Allah, as long as the phrase "For Christians" is printed on the cover.
However, the government backtracked after some scholars said this might offend Muslims.
The weekly, run by the Catholic Church, has filed a case against the government for the right to use Allah and a court ruling is expected by the end of December.
The PAS official believes the Church has a constitutional right to use the word Allah in Christian publications in the local Malay language.
The party, which made big gains in the last general elections, enjoys huge support in the northern rural and conservative states such as Kelantan and Terengganu.
No Dispute
Christians blame the whole controversy on the government.
"There is a new movement in the last 20 years where they have begun to stress that Allah belongs to Muslims," says Father Lawrence Andrew, the editor of The Herald.
"Has this word in Malaysia created any disturbance for last 400 years or 500 years?
"Not at all so how do we arrive at a situation that this word will cause disharmony... when over centuries, nothing has happened?"
Father Andrew believes the government's ban violates the constitution which protects the Christians' freedom of speech and religion.
"We are being marginalized."
Article source:
IslamOnline.net & News Agencies
Read more:
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout&cid=1260258086799#ixzz0cPIM7i0u
No comments:
Post a Comment