It’s kinda strange that Muslim and Christian worshipers in the name of their God are quarreling over the “Allah” name. The Sikhs who also use “Allah” are zipping their mouths. I shake my head in wonder and ask myself: “What’s in a name?" But I don't have the answer though.
Anyway, the verdict wasn’t a surprise. I had expected it and I am sure many Malaysians did too. Except for naive Christians like the foolish Murphy Pakiam, the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur who enjoys cozying up to the Prime Minister and wanting to be in his good books. But it won’t make an iota of difference because Najib Razak loves toying with the likes of him and others. Wake up, Christians – Najib and UMNO are using Islam for political expediency. And you are the punching bag.
Before non-Muslims get upset and become unwittingly drawn into the vortex of furious consternation, kindly note that the court’s outcome is binding only on The Herald as this was a judicial review application!
But Perkasa’s Ibrahim Ali is already anticipating the complete cessation of the use of the “Allah” word by the “infidels” – and urging the government to monitor closely to ensure that the “A” word is not used at all.
Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman, president of NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) even told the Christians that they could always consider emigrating if they are unhappy with the judgment.
After hearing the ruling, The Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew said there are plans to lodge an appeal.
Believe me when I say that this issue will not go away. Simply because in Sabah and Sarawak, there are an estimated 1.6 million Christians, many of whom have used ‘Allah’ for generations.
Since the word has caused so much grief to an insecure segment of the population, I suggest we invite Jakim to thoroughly inspect the Malay-version Bible and even other religions’ scriptures to ensure that these texts do not contain words and arrangements of words that are deemed to be exclusive to our Malaysian Muslim brethren. And whilst we are at it, maybe we should also expunge Article 11 of the Federal Constitution that guarantees religious freedom.
On Sunday, I took up Dr Devi Menon’s invitation to be the General Evaluator at the Sai Masters Toastmasters meeting. A good meeting overall and the two-and-a-half hours in Bangsar where I indulged in Toastmastering were truly well-spent. A 7 over 10 score for this meeting. Oh yes, I even got to celebrate Dr Devi’s birthday!
No comments:
Post a Comment