Malaysian government announced that certain Arabic words such as "Allah" cannot be

used 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 be
declared Islamic and not allowed to be used by infidels and this should apply to India
too. After all India is a land of infidels. We cannot allow Allah's language to be defiled
by infidels.
editor

Words of faith inflame Malaysia

By Baradan Kuppusasmy
Jan 10, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR - In a move that threatens to further inflame already mounting

religious and ethnic tensions, the Malaysian government announced that certain Arabic
words 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 decision
has 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 constitutionally
guaranteed 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 political
Islam.

"Only Muslims can use [the word] Allah. It's a Muslim word. It's from the Arabic
language. We cannot let other religions use it because it will confuse people," deputy
minister 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 the
Catholics. It's not right," he said.

But followers of Sikhism - which borrows heavily from both Islam and Hinduism and
also uses the word Allah to refer to god - are particularly upset over the ban. "We have
used the terms 'Allah' and 'Rahim' [most merciful] extensively in our writings and prayers
to refer to God. The word Allah is used in our holy scripture," Malaysian Gurdwara
Council chief Harcharan Singh told the media.

"Sikhs have used these terms for centuries and they are part of the Punjabi language we
still 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 religious
obligation if commonly used words are reserved for Muslims - I really don't know where
we are heading as a nation with decisions like this," he said.

Compounding the confusion, church leaders have now filed a lawsuit against Prime
Minister 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 any
faith having exclusive right to the use of any particular word. The case will be closely
watched by Malaysians and foreigners, including investors who fear that the country is
slowly sliding into a Taliban-style theocracy.

Although filed on December 10 by the Sidang Injil Borneo, the leading church in Sabah
on 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 Hindus
demonstrated on November 25 demanding a larger share of the national wealth and an
end 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 long
feared Christian proselytizing and the fear surfaced strongly after the Lina Joy case," the
cleric added, referring to the case of Malay woman Azalina Jailani who converted to
Christianity and was then subjected to a brutal legal battle that ended last year with the
highest 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 involving
issues such as religious conversion, division of property and claims over dead bodies and
the 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 spiking
tensions.

To quell Muslims' apprehensions, church leaders have explained that disputed Arabic
words are used only in Christian publications that are exclusively used by non-Muslims
and further that the words are used in sermons inside churches. It is considered an offence
to 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 7,000
non-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 the
country's international image as a moderate and inclusive plural society. In a statement,
the Christian Federation of Malaysia expressed "deep disappointment and regret" at the
government's decision. "The words predate Islam and it is wrong to bar others from using
them in private worship and internal Christian publications," said the federation's
executive secretary, Reverend Herman Shastri.

"We never preach to Muslims and they should not worry," he said, rejecting the
government's arguments for the policy. Ramon Navaratnam, a leading secularist and head
of the Center for Public Policy Studies, said the policy was unconstitutional to ban certain
religions from using the words. "It is the constitutional right of Malaysian citizens to
profess their own religion and using the terminology and language of their choice is part
of that fundamental right," he said.

Political observers say political compulsions prompted the government to move ahead
with the ban, even though it is clearly unpopular with non-Muslims minority groups.
With general elections around the corner, they said, the government is appeasing the
conservative Muslim majority to win political support at a time Abdullah's popularity is
falling.