Posted on 06/24/2014 9:00:51 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Malaysia's highest court on Monday rejected a challenge to a ban that in effect prohibits non-Muslims from referring to God as Allah. That ban has been in place since 2007 and, despite a series of appeals by the Catholic Church, will now remain.
Malay-speaking Chrisians have long used the word "Allah" to signify God; the word entered the Malay language in the medieval era with the arrival of Arabic-speaking merchants. But in Malaysia's complex, fragmented social landscape, historic realities often rub up against modern politics. Malaysian authorities pursuing the case say that Christian usage of the term presents a dangerous blurring of lines.
An umbrella group of Christian denominations in the country claims that the ruling only applies to the Herald, a Catholic weekly newspaper originally involved in the legal proceedings, and that they will continue invoking Allah in their religious activities. But that is little comfort to some. "[The ruling] will confine the freedom of worship," said the Rev. Lawrence Andrew, the editor of the Herald. "We are a minority in this country, and when our rights are curtailed, people feel it."
Malaysia styles itself as a kind of Asian crossroads, its multi-ethnic, multi-faith population of Malays, Chinese and Indians an embodiment of the wider continent. But the controversy over the case reflects the longstanding tensions between the country's majority Muslim population and its religious minorities.
In 2009, after Christians briefly won an appeal challenging the ban (that was later overturned), a number of churches in various parts of the country were firebombed and vandalized.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I must say, I’m of two minds over this.
On the one hand, the Muzzies shouldn’t be allowed to impose their religious prejudices by law.
On the other hand, “Allah” is the Muslim name for God, and Allah is an evil god. I would imagine that when the Muslim “traders” came to Malaysia, they imposed Allah on the population. “There is no God but Allah.” Then, later, when the Christian missionaries arrived, they used the word that the Malaysians gave them.
Better to voluntarily go back to the ancient Malay name for God, rather than adopt the intrinsically evil name of Allah. Not because they are forced to by sharia law, but because they think it best.
An umbrella group of Christian denominations in the country claims that the ruling only applies to the Herald, a Catholic weekly newspaper originally involved in the legal proceedings, and that they will continue invoking Allah in their religious activities. But that is little comfort to some. "[The ruling] will confine the freedom of worship," said the Rev. Lawrence Andrew, the editor of the Herald. "We are a minority in this country, and when our rights are curtailed, people feel it."
See related threads:
Malaysia Catholics oppose non-'Allah' Bible
Malaysia hearings start in Catholic 'Allah' fight
Malaysia Christian Leader: We're Not Fighting to use the word 'Allah' for God
Allah and God are two very separate entities, one worthy of worship and the other worthy of revulsion. There is no way to reconcile the two as one in the writings associated with them. At most, one set of writings can be true and therefore preclude the other.
Nope. Common misnomer. Allah is the personal name for the god of Islam. Ellah is the generic name for 'god' and is used by many in the ME as well as Indonesia moslems. There are some Arabic Christians who refer to the God of Bible as Allah, but they are sorely mistaken.
Christians should be relieved if they cannot use the word Allah. Allah wants to be Jehovah, but Jehovah has promised to judge Allah and Allah is terrified of that prospect.
“On the one hand, the Muzzies shouldn’t be allowed to impose their religious prejudices by law.”
On the same hand, maybe how the non-Muslems in question use and define the word should matter more to other non-Muslems than how Muslem use it or think about it. I dunno, doesn’t seem that hard to me.
Freegards
Becasue they want to be last in line for the head chopping..????
They ought to eschew any word so closely associated with Islam and use the universally understood term Tuhan Yang Maha Esa, and move on.
The army of the "religion of peace" marches on...
Why, oh why, do we 'westerners' insist on painting all muslims with the terrorist brush?
Because, without the real support of the silent muslim majority of enablers, always whining in public, but providing financial, moral, military and logistical support, the active terrorist population of 320,000,000* could not function!
*All recent estimates of the total world muslim population agree on a figure of 1.6 billion. 15-25% of them openly support terrorists, or would be terrorists themselves given the "opportunity." I use 20% as the median.
Another equally common misnomer (set by repetition) is the 'translation' of allahu Akbar! as 'allah is great!'
It actually means, "Allah is Greater!"
Am I the ONLY ONE who can figure out that the being whom Christians refer to as “God” has absolutely NOTHING WHATSOEVER in common with the thing Muzzies refer to as “allah’.
....so what’s the problem.
Making a distinction between the two terms seems like a very good idea.
There is much wrong with many of your assumptions and many of the assumptions on ME Christianity here on FR.
““Allah” is the Muslim name for God”
“Allah” is the standard Arabic term for God (Elohim in Hebrew and Elaha and Alah in Aramaic are cognates of Allah) probably used by the earliest Arab Christians in the First Century and currently used by the Christians of the ME.
Christian books using the term date to before Islam. The Aramaic work for God at the time of Christ was “Elaha,” a cognate of the same word. Ancient Christian tombs predating Islam were often inscribed with “Abd Allah” or “servant of God.”
“Then, later, when the Christian missionaries arrived, they used the word that the Malaysians gave them.”
Christian missionaries certainly used the word “Allah” . . . back when Europe was extremely pagan and many Christian missionaries were coming from the Arab speaking world (Islam did not yet exist and some Western Europeans were busy sacrificing infants).
“Better to voluntarily go back to the ancient Malay name for God”
That statement makes no sense to me at all. Better to define God the way that Holy Scripture, the Church and Holy Tradition defines God than worry about the sound one makes when praying.
This argument that the word “Allah” can’t be used because a group tried to change its definition is the epitome of semantics vs. substance. How you define God is what’s important (WHO you worship), the guttural umphing you make is not. To make it so is pharisaical at best.
Islams Allah is NOT the same God as that of Christianity...and that IS the bottom line...nor will it ever be.
“Ellah is the generic name for ‘god’ and is used by many in the ME as well as Indonesia moslems. There are some Arabic Christians who refer to the God of Bible as Allah, but they are sorely mistaken. “
ROFLOL.
Well, I’m glad your understanding of the Arabic language is better than Arab Christians. Visit your nearest Antiochian Orthodox Church to explain to their priest why your linguistic skills are superior. Please record your conversation and post on Youtube. Send me a link. I love good entertainment.
Clearly the Islamists do NOT believe that it is the same God (or else that the Christians are on a false path unworthy of religious protection).
Either way, the theocratic law betrays what we are constantly told by Islamist propagandists.
Show in my post where I said it was.
I should add that Joseph Smith’s “God” is not the same as that of Christianity. However, I will not stop using the word “God” just because they have continued to use my word in a heretical way.
This frap shows that we do not “worship the same God” as progressives like to assure us.
Has any muslim ever publicly said this? I know they like to be all pious about how Christians are “people of the book” and we should respect their beliefs that Jesus was a lesser prophet.
The god worshiped by muslims never sent or will send a Son or messiah, only another imam to conquer and rule - according to one sect
It seems one rather large group of monotheistic humanity - has got their deity very wrong
Wow, it’s almost like you looked at the issue and decided that the Muslems and LDS didn’t define words for you. Especially considering that there are Christians who think about and use these same words differently than those others. How did you ever manage such a feat? Seems pretty tricky.
FReegards
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