CFM: Bigger wedge in Christian-Muslim relations after ‘Allah’ ruling: KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — The Malaysian authorities’ ‘selective’ action in regards to the “Allah” case is creating more misunderstanding and mistrust between Muslims and Christians that will only undermine the nation’s unity, the country’s largest Christian group warned today. In a statement on the heels of the Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold Putrajaya’s ban on the Christian population to use the word “Allah” to describe their god, the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) said noted the Middle Eastern word had never been an issue in the past when used by Malay-speaking churchgoers, whether before or after Malaya’s independence in 1957 or even after Malaysia was formed in 1963. “However, the various authorities in this country by making an issue of it and by what would appear to be selective action or inaction have only encouraged and fuelled further misunderstandings, mistrusts and brokenness between the Muslim and Christian communities. “This will only further undermine the unity of Malaysians,” the country’s umbrella organisation representing over 90 per cent of churches here said. Earlier today, three Muslim judges in the Court of Appeal unanimously overturned today the 2009 Kuala Lumpur High Court ruling that allowed the Catholic Church to use the word “Allah” in the Bahasa Malaysia section of its weekly publication, the Herald. “It is our common finding that the usage of the name ‘Allah’ is not an integral part of the faith and practice of Christianity,” Justice Datuk Seri Mohamed Apandi Ali said in the ruling. “Such usage, if allowed, will inevitably cause confusion within the community,” he added. Describing the decision as “wide ranging”, CFM said all Christian publications in Bahasa Malaysia would likely be affected by the ruling and this neglect the rights East Malaysian Bumiputra and Orang Asli Christians. “By stating that ‘the name ‘Allah’ is not an integral part of the faith and practice of Christianity’ the court has totally ignored the position of our East Malaysian Bumiputra and Orang Asli Christians,” it said. CFM pointed out that the Bahasa Malaysia speaking community constitute 60 per cent of the church in Malaysia. It further said that the decision would appear to suggest that a minority religion can only be practised and professed in Malaysia to the extent that it does not upset the “peace and harmony” of adherents of the majority faith. Calling the ruling “utterly irresponsible” and “demeaning”, Churches from Sabah and Sarawak have chosen to defy the decision and continue to call their god “Allah”. CFM said it will also continue to use “Allah” since it was of the view that the court decision did not appear to cover the use of the word Allah in the Bahasa Malaysia Bible, the Alkitab. “We expect our Honourable Prime Minister and the Cabinet to continue to honour the 10-point solution with respect to the Bahasa Malaysia Bible, the Alkitab. “We shall, therefore, continue to use the word Allah in our worship, liturgy, prayers and educational materials of the church,” it said. Following Christian uproar over the “Allah” controversy, the Najib administration issued a 10-point solution in 2011 to allow the printing, importation and distribution of the Al-Kitab that contains the word “Allah” in a move aimed at averting a potential voter backlash. The Catholic Church said today that it would contest the Court of Appeal’s decision, pointing out that the ruling contradicts Putrajaya’s 10-point solution. Today’s verdict casts doubt over how the judiciary will rule on two similar court cases over the word “Allah”: one is by Sidang Injil Borneo (Borneo Evangelical Church) Sabah, who is suing the Home Ministry for confiscating its Malay-language Christian education publications, which contain the word “Allah”, in 2007. The other is over the 2008 government seizure of audio CDs, which also contain the word “Allah”, that belong to Jill Ireland, a Sarawakian Christian. Both cases have been put on the backburner the past few years pending the disposal of the Catholic Church’s case. dlvr.it/47fxmh
Posted on: Mon, 14 Oct 2013 11:39:15 +0000
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