Malaysian bloggers gathered this week to debate last year’s High Court decision to allow the Catholic newspaper Herald to use “Allah” in its Malay-language section. “It is not wrong for Christians to say their ‘three-in-one’ God is Allah. It is their religion. Isn’t ‘Allah’ God?” asked Khalid Samad, a Member of Parliament from the opposition Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS), told the annual meeting of the country’s bloggers.
“People use semantics to confuse the issue,” he said, adding that the Malay-language Bible uses “Allah” for God, and he sees “no problem” in it.
Prophet Muhammad did not tell Christians it is haram (forbidden) to use the word “Allah” just because Christians believe in the Trinity, said another Muslim speaker, Harris Ibrahim, founder of the blog, People’s Parliament.
“Even if it is possible to confuse the Muslim community [over the issue], it is we who are at fault, if we are weak. Why blame others?”
A youth activist and pro-government blogger, Akhramsyah Muammar Ubaidah Sanusi, said the Allah issue should not be politicized. “The Catholic Church should show it is as magnanimous as it claims to be, and make suggestions on how to solve the issue.”
A prominent opposition figure and lawyer, Zaid Ibrahim, told participants that the “government should accept the decision of the court.”
“Go back to the Qur’an,” he said. “Non-Muslims are allowed to use the word ‘Allah’ and Muslims have to accept it.”
SIC: CTHINDIA