Vatican
City ambassador to Malaysia Archbishop Joseph Marino's controversial
support for the use of word 'Allah' amongst Christians has created a
religious furor with Malay Muslim groups demanding immediate apology or
ouster of the diplomat.
Marino was reported lauding the local church's campaign to include the Arabic word 'Allah' as god amongst Christians.
The archbishop's open support has not gone down well with
several Muslim groups who have considered the move as insensitive and
highly offensive for Muslims and Malaysians.
Malaysian High court's ruling in 2009 had said the term 'Allah' was
not exclusive to Islam.
However, the decision has faced major flak in
the Muslim-dominated country and the Home Ministry has ever since tried
to overturn the ruling. Even PM Najib Razak had in April expressed his
support for the withdrawal of the ruling which many Malaysian Muslims
found was against their religious beliefs.
The recent Marino's open support for the opposite has snowballed into a major storm.
Malay rights groups Jati and Perkasa have been quite vocal
slamming the Vatican envoy's comments and demanded an immediate apology
within seven days lest he would be ousted.
Jati president Datuk Hasan Ali told a press conference in Kuala
Lumpur on Friday, "We strongly criticise the statement made by
Archbishop Marino. The diplomat has misused his immunity by interfering
with matters of the country."
"He has only been here for a month and half and already he has caused us so much concern. What more two years?"
Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali also clearly stated his
displeasure saying, "First, we criticise his statement. Second, he has
seven days to retract his statement."
"Third, if he fails to do so, we will urge the government to shut the
embassy and chase him out," he said while cautioning, "He has to mind
his words," reported Malaysian Insider.
Ibrahim also urged the PM's support in taking a firm stand and dealing with the matter at the earliest.
While Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom from the Prime Minister's
Department said in a statement on Saturday, "The religious tolerance in
this country should be taken into account when issuing statements that
could be interpreted as disrupting racial harmony in Malaysia."
However, the president of the Council of Churches Malaysia, Bishop
Philip Lok upholding Marino's support said that Christians have always
been subjected to bashing from groups like Perkasa and others and wanted
the PM's intervention to "do the right thing and reject extremism".
The archbishop's move was lauded by The Malaysian Consultative
Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism
(MCCBCHST) deputy president Jagir Singh who said Marino had done the
right thing and supported what was true.
As for retraction of Marino's statement, Singh believed it was
unjustified, "It is not fair to ask him to do that. It is his right. The
Archbishop's stand is correct."