The worst kept secret in town is that Umno is not averse to lighting fires and giving free rein to zealots to stoke them. The U.Must.Not.Object ruling-party-for-life has no lack of luminaries to lead the cavalry. Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria, Datuk Hasan Ali, Datuk Ibrahim Ali and Datuk Zulkifli Noordin are foremost among Umno's cast of villains. Not forgetting Melayu tulen Dr Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, never mind that he allegedly plagiarised the work of one Airil Yasreen Yassin for his doctorate. Among Malay Muslim NGOs, Isma, Jati and Pekida stand out as loud defenders of the faith.
Why all this emotion-mongering even though the next general election is not due for at least four more years? Truth be told, Datuk Seri Najib Razak (if he is still prime minister then) may not be obliged to call GE14 until 2018, but he can't determine when the next by-election falls due.
Raging prices require towering infernos to mask them so that struggling Muslim Malays do not abandon Barisan Nasional (BN) for Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the polling booth.
Enter kalimah Allah. The controversy has not only diverted the citizenry's anxiety over the spate of price spikes, but also shoved other issues to the back burner. Faith and religion has drowned out erstwhile widespread noises on the Shiah crackdown, the alleged wrongdoings of the attorney-general in the Pulau Batu Puteh case, the RM110 million condominium purchase by Najib's stepson, and a looming national debt crisis, among other major concerns. Not only has the word pitted Muslims against Christians (and Sikhs too, for now) but also placed liberal and militant Muslims at loggerheads.
Read more here: http://www.theantdaily.com/news/2014/01/19/live-sword-die-sword
Catholics must stay strong in their faith as they face attacks from various groups over the use of the word “Allah”, said Archibishop Emeritus Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam. The senior church leader, who is now administrator of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, said that recent events where offensive words were used and an effigy of Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew was burned, were “tantamount to an attack against the Christian community”.
“It is deplorable that certain groups also wish to organise mega demonstrations and road shows. These insensible actions by groups of persons have caused a great deal of unease, anxiety and even anger among Malaysians,” he said in a pastoral letter dated yesterday.
“Furthermore, the endorsement of such actions by certain political leaders and the unexplained silence of others only add fuel to a fire that seems to be spreading uncontrollably. We cannot accept or tolerate any group that promotes division, discord and disharmony in society. I call upon the Catholic faithful to be strong through these adversities and continue to profess our faith with courage and determination,” Pakiam added.
Read more here:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/profess-faith-with-courage-catholic-leader-tells-followers
Malaysia's King gave his backing on Sunday to a court ruling barring non-Muslims from using the word "Allah" to refer to God, weighing in for the first time on an issue that has fanned religious tensions in the multi-cultural country.
ReplyDeleteSultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam, whose role as head of state is largely ceremonial, alluded to the issue that has raised questions over miniority rights during his birthday speech to the South-east Asian nation.
A court in October ruled that the word was exclusive to majority Malay Muslims, overturning an earlier decision allowing a Catholic newspaper to use "Allah" in its Malay-language edition.
The court ruling has since prompted Muslim leaders to call for demonstrations against Christians who do not comply.
http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/se-asia/story/malaysian-king-backs-court-ban-non-muslims-using-allah-20140119
Putrajaya is acting irresponsibly for saying that in the peninsula, Christians are at the mercy of the states when it comes to religious issues, says a former head of prosecution in the Attorney-General's Chambers.
ReplyDeleteDatuk Stanley Isaacs said this had left the Christians in a very precarious position as the 10-point solution endorsed by the Cabinet in 2011 allowed the followers of the faith to use the word Allah in the entire federation.
"Putrajaya has contradicted itself. It is totally unfair for them to now wash their hands off and say they are unable to assist non-Muslims in the peninsula as they are governed by state enactments," he told The Malaysian Insider.
He said this in response to a statement by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Nancy Shukri yesterday that Putrajaya remained committed to the 10-point solution which was signed with Sabah and Sarawak, but had no control over religious issues in the states.
Nancy, who is also MP for Batang Sadong in Sarawak, only joined the Cabinet after the May 5 general election last year.
The de facto law minister had said that religious affairs in every state fell under the purview of the state government and Putrajaya could not interefere.
She had claimed that Putrajaya never diverted from the 2011 agreement which was signed just before the Sarawak state elections.
The 10-point solution allows Christians in Sabah and Sarawak to use “Allah” in the Malay version of the Bible.
Under the agreement, which was drawn up by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala, Bibles in all languages can be imported into the country, including those in Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia, and the Bibles can also be printed locally in the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak.
Isaacs, who was once a law revision commissioner and head of the civil division, said Nancy's statement was "regrettable".
"It would appear from her statement that Putrajaya has shifted from its 2011 position on the 10-point solution as far as Christians are concerned in West Malaysia," he said.
He said non-Muslims had no remedy as state enactments and decree of rulers could be used to regulate their religous affairs.
"The rights of non-Muslims are guaranteed by the Federal Constitution and federal laws," he said.
Nancy had said that Putrajaya could not force the state governments to honour the 10-point solution, referring to the seizure of more than 300 Malay and Iban bibles from The Bible Society of Malaysia by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais)...
Throughout all this, Putrajaya had kept silent on the issue even as Christians looked to Datuk Seri Idris Jala for an explanation.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/putrajaya-acting-irresponsibly-for-saying-christians-subject-to-state-laws