By Julia Zappei. Publised by AFP on 26 January 2014.
Malaysian churches defiantly continued to use the word "Allah" to refer to the Christian God in Sunday services despite the Muslim-majority country's leader saying they must obey rules against it.
Malay-speaking Christians prayed and sang hymns using the Arabic word, a practice they have observed for hundreds of years but now the focus of an increasingly tense religious row in the Southeast Asian nation.
"They all contain the word 'Allah'," a pastor at a church near the capital Kuala Lumpur said of the songs sung by his congregation.
"(The Malay-language Bible) contains the word 'Allah'. When we preach we have to read the text. It's a really difficult situation," he added, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the passions surrounding the issue.
Under pressure from Muslim conservatives, Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Friday that Malaysian Christians must heed rules forbidding them from using the word.
Islamist leaders in the country say "Allah" -- which also is used by Malay Muslims to refer to their creator -- is exclusive to their religion and must not be used by non-Muslims.
Muslim ethnic Malays make up more than 60 percent of the diverse country's 28 million people.
Malaysia has sizeable ethnic Chinese, Indian and other communities. About 2.6 million people are Christians.
Church leaders have vowed not to back down.
"Christians in Malaysia have no choice but to use the Malay-language Bibles. To say they cannot use these bibles, it means saying 'you are not allowed to worship in the language that you want'," Rev. Hermen Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia, told AFP.
The government in 2007 ordered a Malaysian Catholic weekly newspaper to cease use of the word, arguing it could entice Muslims to convert, which is illegal for adherents of Islam in Malaysia.
The newspaper has launched a long-running court challenge, angering Muslim conservatives, who have demanded Christians use alternative Malay words.
"Why insist? They have an option. They don't really have to use 'Allah' to worship," said Yusri Mohamad, chairman of Muslim rights group Pembela. "This is unnecessary provocation... This is not healthy for Malaysia."
Muslim conservatives have suggested Christians use other Malay words, such as "Tuhan", to refer to God.
Malaysia has avoided overt religious conflict for decades and is generally seen as a moderate Muslim country. But non-Muslims allege growing intolerance by influential Islamic conservatives.
"We feel angry. It's unfair," a Christian church-goer said after Sunday's service. "It's no longer peaceful between Christians and Muslims now."
The Malaysian Catholic church argues "Allah" has been used by Christians in the country for hundreds of years and that the word predates Islam's founding.
Tensions sparked by the issue triggered a spate of attacks in 2010 on places of worship, mostly churches.
Najib's Muslim-dominated government responded in 2011 with a compromise allowing Christians limited use of the word. But he backed away from that Friday, saying the compromise was subservient to state laws and royal decrees forbidding non-Muslim use of "Allah".
Those rules have historically been rarely enforced. But as pressure from Muslim conservatives rose, Islamic authorities cited one such law earlier this month to seize hundreds of Bibles from a Christian group.
By Lee Shi-Ian. Published by The Malaysian Insider on 26 January 2014.
While Putrajaya dithers over the 'Allah' issue, a group of ordinary Malaysians gathered today to promote inter-faith solidarity and peace at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park.
Dressed in purple, they handed out flowers, candies and bookmarks in the hope of promoting diversity in Malaysia.
Social activist Azrul Mohd Khalib said the 'Allah' issue, allegations of conversion and propagation of Muslims are all threatening to tear apart the fabric of Malaysia’s multi-cultural community. "The individuals who are currently speaking on these issues are not promoting national unity and solidarity in the country. Instead, they are promoting hate and distrust, and pushing the various ethnic groups into their respective communities," Azrul said while explaining that they had picked purple as they wanted to use it to symbolise religious tolerance among the different races.
"We must reject this hatred, we believe in a pluralistic society, one which is united regardless of different creed, religion and race."
Cynthia from Petaling Jaya told The Malaysian Insider that the gathering was a fantastic way of showing that they all loved Malaysia. "I decided to participate in today's gathering because I want to do something positive and help build the nation."
Cheryl Fernandez, 50, said she supported peace in Malaysia and did not want to see the country torn apart. "The keywords for today’s outing are diversity and solidarity," said the Kuala Lumpur native.
Anna Koh, also from the capital, said she wanted unity for Malaysia, not division. "I believe that the ordinary rakyat do not want to be divided. Everyone wants peace and harmony," said the 52-year-old.
Tengku Yasmin Nastasha, 16, was spotted by The Malaysian Insider handing out flowers to visitors at the KLCC Park. "I want to celebrate peace and solidarity for Malaysians. I like peace and I feel there is no need for all these unnecessary commotions," she said.
Her mother, Nik Elin, 52, said she had been part of the mixed-faith solidarity group which had gathered at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Klang three weeks ago. "I think that Malaysia needs a lot of healing and what better way than to give peace and love? Peace and solidarity are the key ingredients if we want to celebrate diversity," said Nik Elin.
On January 5, Azrul co-coordinated the solidarity gathering at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Klang. He said that the purpose of the gathering was borne out of concern over the state of religious freedom in Malaysia...
After a long silence on the 'Allah' issue, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak finally roused himself to say that the use of the word 'Allah' was up to the states. His statement was met with bitter disappointment and indignation from various quarters including the Council of Churches Malaysia and the whole Christian community.
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