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    THE ARGUMENTS TO REJECT THE USE OF ALLAH BY

    THE CHRISTIANS1

    Mohd Aizam Bin MasodAqidah Section, Research Department.

    Abstract

    The issue of demanding to use the word Allah by the Christians in this country

    should to be handled wisely. The academic discussions to understand the hidden

    agenda behind the claim should be thoroughly studied by all parties. Allah is a

    sacred word that symbolises the Muslims and they have to defend the word so

    that it will not deviate from its true meaning. It is the obligation of all Muslims to

    protect the divinity of Islam.

    Introduction

    On 31st December 2007, the editor of Herald-The Catholic Weekly, Father Lawrence

    Andrew said that the Home Ministry (KDN) has renewed the permit of the publication

    without banning the use of the word Allah. However, the government reiterated that

    the ban still stays. On 3rd January 2008, the Cabinet announced that the ban on all

    religions, except Islam, to use the word Allah in their publication remains.

    Previously, the Cabinet had decided on the same resolution in a meeting on 18th

    October and 1st

    November 2006. On 19th

    March 2008, Catholic Church applied to the

    Supreme Court to perform a judicial review forthe ban of using the word Allah. On 5th

    May 2008, the Supreme Court (the Appeal and Special Power Section) decided to allow

    the leave application by the Catholic Church to revise (the ruling) to use the word Allah

    1The article has been published in JAKIM Research Journal, No. 21, 2008.

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    in their publication Herald-The Catholic Weekly. This article is written as a framework to

    reject the use of the word Allah by the Christians.

    The Reasons Given By the Catholic Church to Use the Word Allah

    In The Sun newspaper dated 24th

    December2007, there was a report entitled Church

    leaders explain use of Allah. There are five main reasons given by the report as to why

    the Catholic Church wishes to continue using the word Allah in their publication. The

    reasons are as follows:

    a) The claim that they are following the Bible. The Bible in the Malay language

    uses the word Allah as a translation to God and God for the term Lord.

    b) The claim that as early as the 19 th century, the Catholics in Malaya had

    owned prayer books in Malay language and the word Allah has been used

    in reference to God. The Maltese Catholic had also used the word Allah to

    refer to God, similarly the Christians in Indonesia, Pakistan and the West

    Asia.

    c) The claim that suggests even the Quranic verses suggested that the non-

    Muslims have been using Allah.

    d) The claim that the segments (translation) in the Malay language are designed

    to meet the needs of ethnic and linguistic diversity that exists in Malaysia,

    which similarly exists in the population of Catholics in Malaysia.

    e) The claim that the government does not have any right to interfere into the

    internal affairs of the church as ruled by Item 11(3)A of the Federal

    Constitution.

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    The Arguments Given by the Catholic Church

    First Reason: The claim that they are following the Bible. The Bible in the Malay

    language uses the word Allah as the translation of God and God for the word

    Lord.

    Rejection Arguments:

    a) Allah is a specific name from an Arabic word and it cannot be used in other

    forms or any other meanings. According to Arabic grammar, the word cannot be

    publicised, minimised, be gender biased or be published in other terms. The

    word Allah is free from all grammatical structure and corrupted meanings. It

    cannot be manipulated in whatever way from its original form. From the linguistic

    structure, the word Allah is superior compared to any other words from any

    other languages to preserve and protect its Oneness and Uniqueness as the One

    God that deserves our devotion2. As such, Muslims will never translate the word

    Allah into any language other than the original Allah.

    b) Internationally, the use ofAllah is literally synonym with Islam and Muslims. It is

    recognised by renowned dictionaries and encyclopaedias in the world. Among

    them are:

    i. Oxford Dictionary- Allah: Name of God among Muslims3

    ii. Britannica Encyclopaedia Allah: God, the one and only in the religion of

    Islam.4

    2_________________(1990) Mengapa Kalimah Allah?, Bahagian Hal Ehwal Islam, JPM KL page 32-33

    3A.S Hornby (1985), Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English, Oxford University Press, Great

    Britain, p. 23.4

    http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9005770/Allah. Surfed on 8th

    June, 2008

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    iii. Catholic EncyclopaediaLet it be noted that although Allah is an Arabic term,

    it is used by all Moslems, whatever be their language, as the name of God.5

    c) In the Malaysian context, the word Allah is not translated into Malay language

    and is retained without being translated. That is why Allah refers directly to the

    meaning in the Quran without modification in its saying (translation) or the

    meaning of the word itself.

    This is proven as defined by Kamus Dewan 4th Edition: Allah: Ar (language origin

    Arabic) God (the only One); ~ azzawajalla the Nicest and the Most Sacred; ~

    subhanahu wa taala:the most elevated God.

    6

    Kamus Pelajar(Student Dictionary) defines Allah as follows:

    The only One God, with the Most perfect attitude and is the Creator of the

    universe.7

    Therefore, the word Allah cannot be regarded as a translation of God because

    it is an Arabic word which is retained as an adherence to the sacred Book of

    Muslims which has been a part of the Muslim culture and is fully understood by

    the non-Muslims in this country.

    d) The act by the Catholic Church to translate the word god to Allah is not in

    accordance to the term used by the people in this country. The word god

    according to Kamus Dewan Inggeris-Melayu is:

    n 1. male deity, dewa, tuhan; (archaic) betara: the Greek ~s, dewadewa Yunani;

    2. idol, berhala, patung; 3. so., st. deified, tuhan: moneyhas become his ~, wang

    5http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01316a.htm. Surfed on 8

    thJune 2008

    6http://sbmb.dbp.gov.my/knb/cariankata/dbp_ka_rujukan_kamus_dbp.aspx. Surfed 8th June 2008.

    7Ibid

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    telah menjadi tuhan baginya; make a ~ of /so., st/, bertuhankan /sso, sst/; 4. G~,

    Tuhan; (in Islam) Allah.8

    The definition by Kamus Dewan is derived at based on the culture practiced in

    this country. This means that god forthe non-Muslims is translated as deity and

    god, while, God (with a capital g) is used as pronoun which refers to Allah

    and not as an English translation of the word Allah (as the number 4 definition

    above). This is similar to the Muslims using capital letters for every first alphabet

    of pronouns when referring to Allah, e.g; I, We, He and You.

    e) The Malay Language Bible, which is claimed to be the reference for the usage of

    the word Allah, is unacceptable based on the credibility factor of the translation

    and ruling of Malaysia. The translation credibility is questioned. The authority

    involved in translating the Bible to Malay Language is unknown (for instance, was

    the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka consulted in this matter?). Furthermore, the

    judicial factor prohibits the usage of certain words which exclusively belongs to

    the Muslims by the non-Muslims. Therefore, the reason that they are referring to

    the Malay Language Bible is rejected by itself because the translation credibility

    can be disputed.

    Second Reason: The claim that as early as the 19th

    century, the Catholics in Malaya

    had owned prayer books in Malay and the word Allah has been used in reference to

    God. The Maltese Catholic had also used the word Allah to refer to God and similarly

    the Christians in Indonesia, Pakistan and the West Asia.

    8http://sbmb.dbp.gov.my/knb/cariankata/dbp_ka_rujukan_kamus_dbp.aspx. Surfed on 8th June 2008.

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    Rejection Arguments:

    a) The reason had arisen from the arrival of the Christian missionaries to the then

    Malaya and the archipelago. History has recorded that the main mission of the

    Western colonials to the Southeast Asia was to rake in the abundance of the

    earth and to propagate Christianity throughout the nation. Among the efforts

    actively undertaken by the missionaries were to translate the Bible into the local

    language and to perform religious rituals in the language that was locally

    understood.

    As an example, the Bible translation by Dr. Mekhior Leidekler in 1733 has been

    accepted as a standard translation and was widely used in the 18 th and 19th

    century in Malaya and Indonesia9. The activity of translating the Bible increased

    with the colonialism in Malaya after they successfully conquered Penang in 1786

    and Malacca in 1795. Stamford Raffles was one of the English colonial leaders

    directly involved in propagating Christianity by distributing the translated Bible.

    In 1852, the translated version in roman and jawi(Malay Arabic) was published

    and distributed widely in Malaya. Stamford Raffles was the strong force behind

    the effort undertaken by the Protestant missionaries from the London Missionary

    Association who envisioned printing plants in Malacca, Penang, Singapore and

    Betawi. Apart from printing the Bible, the activity also included printing Malay

    magazines with various knowledge segments, laced with Christian propaganda

    to further expand the religion in Malaya. Circa 18211905, various magazines

    9Neill,S (1956). Colonialism and Christian Missions. London: Lutterworth Press, p. 77.

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    had been published such as Buletin Ariffin (Ariffin Bulletin), Cermin Mata (The

    Spectacles), Sahabat(Friends) and Warta Melayu (The Malay Gazette).10

    The activity of distributing the Christian propaganda then was joined by the

    Protestant priests from America who represented the American Board of

    Commissioners of Foreign Missions.11

    All the facts lead to a valid reason for the government to disallow the Christians

    today to use the word Allah in the Malay Language Bible. This is because the

    translations do not envisaged the true literature of Christian doctrine but to be

    exploited as a medium to spread Christianity.

    b) The attempt to compare Malaysia with other countries which uses Allah as a

    reference to god is also rejected. This is because there are different legends

    and cultures in every language used by the different races in a certain country. In

    this case, the background of the Malay Language which has been used by the

    Malaysians comes from the womb of Islam and the Malay culture the Malay

    culture itself comes from Islam. Thus, it must mirror the customs of the Malays

    which originate from Islam. This is certainly different with the language

    background of the Indonesians and Singaporeans.

    c) With regards to the usage of Allah by the Christians in West Asia, it also forms

    a weak argument. The non-MuslimArabs have been using Allah based on the

    theological factors and culture which have existed in West Asia. The matter has

    been clarified in the Quran itself when the Book emerged to clarify and cleanse

    10Neill,S (1956). Colonialism and Christian Missions. London: Lutterworth Press, p 180-181

    11Ibid

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    the meaning of Allah which had been misused by the Pagans and the Members

    of Scriptures (ahli Kitab) who are the Jews and Christians.

    d) In the etymology and semantic context, the Catholic Churchs reason to refer to

    the Arab Christians is a far deviation. They cannot compare the happenings of

    the Arab Christians with the Malaysian Christians. What happened there is that

    they translated the Bible from the Syriac Language (Syria/Syam) or Aramic and

    Hebrew to Arabic Language. We have to understand that Arabic, Aramic and

    Hebrew come from the same language group which is the Semitique. Therefore,

    the Arabs have the right to defend that Allah may have originated from their god

    in Aramic or Hebrew. However, what is the rationale behind the Christian Church

    to translate god from English Language Bible to Allah in the Malay version?

    Are both not from two different language groups which are diversed in etymology

    and semantic, let alone the environment that culturalised the usage of the

    language?

    Third reason: The claim that suggests even the Quranic verses suggested that the

    non-Muslims have been using Allah.

    Rejecting Arguments:

    a) One of the verses that have been referred to by the Catholic Church is from

    Surah al-Ankabut, verse 61:

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    Meaning: Indeed, if you (The Prophet [peace and blessings be upon him]) asked them

    (the apostates), "Who created the Heavens and earth and subjected the sun and the

    moon?" They will surely say, "Allah." Then how are they deluded?

    Similarly Surah al-Maidah verse 73:

    Meaning: They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allah is the third of three." And

    there is no god except one God. And if they do not desist from what they are saying,

    there will surely afflict the disbelievers among them a painful punishment.

    Actually, both verses cannot be used as an argument for the non-Muslims to use the

    word Allah. It is based on the following facts:

    i. In al-Ankabut, verse 61, the Quran is only depicting the understanding of the

    Pagan Arabs in using the word Allah. It is not to assent or allow the usage.

    On the other hand, it is to clarify that the Arabs were familiar with the word

    Allah even before the advent of Islam.

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    From the verse, the Quran clarifies that the Pagan Arabs only recognise Allah

    as (1) Creator of the sky and earth (2) Who simplifies the cycle of the sun and

    the moon (3) Who let water down from the sky and (4) The place to put hope.

    The concept is clearly against the true concept of Allah which is the Essence

    that is to be worshipped and not to be allied with any other.12

    ii. Whereas, Surah al-Maidah verse 73 cannot be a reason for the Christians to

    use the word Allah due to the fact that Allah Himself has denied those who

    opines that His Essence is one out of three (trinity). They are even considered

    as apostates.13

    That means the word Allah uttered by the Christians is a

    waste and has no value to Allah, as it does not refer to the real meaning of

    Allah. As we all know, Allah refers to a named Essence. As an example, the

    word car refers to a motored vehicle. Thus, it is meaningless for those who

    use the word car to refer to a sewing machine. If they still use the word car

    but refers to a wrong thing, this means that the usage the word is pointless

    and bears no meaning.

    b) Using the Quran as the reference to support the use of the word Allah for the

    non-Muslims is not really an excuse by the Catholic Church, but it is rather a plus

    point for the Muslims. It signifies the failure of the Catholic Church to argue

    based on the original scriptures of their sacred book. For Muslims, this is

    evidence that the Quran, being a sacred Book, has solid facts and is consistent.

    This is also a proof that the Catholic Church uses the Quran as the most reliable

    source to admit that Allah is a gods name as opposed to arguing based on

    12Tafsir Ibn Kathir, j. 6, p. 403.13

    Tafsir al-Tabari, j. 10, p. 482.

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    historical debate and linguistic knowledge. Thus, the facts about Allah as

    explained in the Quran should be accepted.

    Or, does the Catholic Church wish to proclaim that the word Allah in the Quran

    refers to the word Elohim in their original scripture in Hebrew? If the words

    Allah and Elohim refer to the same truth, why does the concept differ? The

    Quran mentions that Allah is the One and only and has no son, while the Catholic

    Church believes in the trinity concept. This means that the concept of Allah in

    Islam is very consistent that the Muslims do not have to translate it into any other

    worldly language. This is different from the concept of god in Christianity which

    does not have a clear and consistent source that it requires translations and

    borrowing from other languages.

    Fourth Reason: The claim that the segments (translation) in Bahasa Malaysia are

    created to meet the needs of ethnic and linguistic diversity that exists in Malaysia which

    similarly exists in the Catholic population in Malaysia.

    Rejecting Arguments:

    a) The reason to translate it into Bahasa Malaysia as a sign that there exists

    diversity in the Catholic Christian population is also unacceptable. It should be

    known that Bahasa Malaysia comes from Malay Language. Item 152 in the

    Federal Constitution states that Malay Language is the national and official

    language of Malaysia. We have to remember that when the constitution was

    legislated, the word Malaysia has yet to exist. Therefore, when we refer to

    Bahasa Malaysia, we are referring to Malay Language, which actually refers to

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    the Malay Muslim population. Thus, specific terminologies which have become

    the flagship (syiar) and symbol of the Malay Muslim population can never be re-

    conceptualised to fit in other cultures and religions.

    b) Enforcing the usage of the word Allah among the Catholic Christians who

    converse in Malay Language in this country also will logically bring about

    negative impacts on Christianitys concept ofgod. It is well known that the word

    Allah is a term which has been dominated by the Malays who politically and

    culturally constitute 60% of the Malaysia population as compared to merely 9.1%

    Christians from various sects. Would the use of similar terminology not confuse

    the Christians who speak Malay Language? Thus, the more accurate translation

    such as God should be used by the Catholic Church to ensure that the beliefs

    of Christianity are always preserved as well as to prevent confusion.

    Fifth Reason: The claim that the government does not have any right to interfere with

    the internal affairs of the church as ruled by the Item 11(3) A oftheFederal Constitution.

    Rejecting Arguments:

    This argument has no basis at all. On the contrary, the government has been given a

    mandate by the Federal Constitution in Item 11(4) (to control and to prevent whatever

    faith or religious beliefs among those who are Muslims). Under this provision, the

    government (either the Federal Government or the State government) has legislated a

    law to control and prevent the expansion of other non-Islamic religions against the

    Muslims. For example, the Enactment of Control and Prevention of a Non-Islamic

    Religion Expansion in the State of Terengganu 1980, Section 9 mentioned; (prohibits

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    someone (non-Muslim) from using specific words in writing, verbal or statement to

    visualise among others, the beliefs or whichever concept of the non-Islamic religions.

    The words include Allah, Ilahi, Rasul (Messenger), Nabi (Prophet), Wahyu (Revelation),

    Iman (Faith), Imam (Leader), Syariah (Pillars), Ulama (Scholars), Dawah (Religious

    Mission), Injil (Bible), etc. The provision has clearly shown that the use of Allah as a

    translation to god in Bible is in fact against the enforcing law in our country. Thus, it

    cannot be classified as the churchs internal affairs.

    Additional Arguments

    As additions to the arguments above, there are four other queries that have been

    brought forward to the Catholic Church with regards to their claim and the Muslims in

    Malaysia demand for an answer, which are:

    a) Why does the Catholic Church not use the original terminology for god as

    mentioned in the original language of their scriptures? Why does the gods name

    need to be translated when a name of a god is specific which is supposed to be

    utilised regardless of the language barrier. Is it not the word god in Hebrews

    Bible is referred to as Elohim, El, Eloh or Elah?

    b) Why should there be contrasting views among the Christians about the name of

    their god? In August, 2007, a Roman Catholic priest in Netherland, Tiny Muskens

    called for all Christians to use the word Allah. However, the call was objected

    by the Protestant Christians and the Catholic Christians. The President of the

    Catholic league for Religious and Civil Rights disputed the idea in his statement:

    Bishop Martinus Tiny Muskens can pray to Allahall he wants, but only addle

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    pated Catholics will follow his lead. It is not a good sign when members of the

    Catholic hierarchy indulge in a fawning exchange with Muslims or those of any

    other religion14. The Chairman of the General Synod of the Dutch Protestant

    Church, Gerrit de Fijteralso opposed Muskens idea that the Christians use the

    word Allah. He said, I applaud every attempt to encourage dialogue with

    Muslims, but I doubt the sense of this manoeuvre.15

    Apart from that, there was an article written in Arabic by Izzat Andrews, a Coptic

    Christian in Egypt entitled Allah is not the god of Christian and Jews. He said

    that the word Allah merely came from the Pagans which refers to moon god. It

    has never been written in the scriptures of the Jews or Christians. The god for

    the Christians is Elohim. 16 The statements above clearly showed that the usage

    of Allah for the Christians is still considered a polemic among the Christian

    scholars. Hence, what is the argument by the Malaysian Catholic Church to

    defend the use of Allah when it still has not been finalised by the Christians

    internationally?

    c) As with the previous argument, the Christian colonials came to the Tanah Melayu

    with two missions. One of them is to propagate Christianity to the whole

    archipelago. Bernama has reported an article from The Minaretpublished by the

    California Islamic Centre which mentioned that the Christian missionaries have

    targeted Malaysia for a Christianity movement called Window 10/40. This is

    because Malaysia is one of the countries situated within the latitude 10 and 40 in

    14http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293394,00.html. Surfed on 8th June, 2008.

    15http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22254040-13762,00.html. Surfed on 8th June 2008.

    16http://www.coptichistory.org/new_page_197.htm

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    the world map.17 In a report, the Johor Department of Islamic Affairs joined

    forces with the Home Ministry to confiscate 250 books titles about Christianity in

    Malay Language. The books use titles such as Kaabah (Kaaba), Wahyu Ilahi

    (Gods Revelation) and Mengenal Rasul (Knowing the Prophet). One glance at

    the titles seems like it is a tactic to entice Muslims to read the books. 18

    Therefore, what guarantee does the Catholic Church have that the use of Allah is

    only limited to the Christians and not for the Muslims?

    d) Will the Catholic Church agree if it is said that the facts about god in the Bible is

    not as clear and accurate as in the Quran. It is even contradictory to one another.

    For example, there is a verse in Bible about the Oneness of god as in the Old

    Testament which says: Remember O you Israelis! The only god is our god.19

    However, in other places, there are many verses that contradict the Oneness of

    god, as in the New Testament; After everyone baptised, Jesus was baptised too.

    When He prayed, the sky opens up and Allahs soul existed with a pigeon came

    down on It. Then there was a voice from Heaven which said: You are My Son,

    whom Ilove. You make me happy.20

    The facts about Allah in the Quran are very

    consistent and never vary. Surah Al Ikhlas mentions clearly who the true Allah

    is. Allah s.w.t. decrees meaning: Say (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)): He

    is Allah, (the) One. Allah-us-Samad (The Self-sufficient Master, Whom all

    Creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks). He begets not, nor was He

    begotten; And there is none comparable unto Him.

    17Berita Harian, 4 February 1997

    18Utusan Malaysia dated 3rd February 1997

    19Refer Al-Kitab, The Bible Society Of Malaysia, Old Testament Repeat Books Chap 6 ver 4

    20Refer Al-Kitab, The Bible Society Of Malaysia, New Testament Lukas Chap 3 ver 21 and 22

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    In tandem, the Quran teaches Muslims that if a conflict arises against the

    Muslims by the Members of Scriptures (the Jews and Christians), it is the

    responsibility of Muslims to call for them to accept the concept of Allah as

    explained in the Quran itself. Allah decrees about this in Surah Ali Imran verses

    64:

    Meaning: Say (O Muhammad SAW): O people of the Scripture (Jews and

    Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you, That we worship

    none but Allah, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none shall

    of us take others as Lords besides Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: Bear

    Witness that we are Muslims.

    The question now is, does the Catholic Church willing to consider the call of the

    Quran to use Allah and refers to the same truth which is The Only One God

    without any alliance to Him?

    The decision by the Fatwa Committee of the National Council Meeting

    The 82nd

    meeting of the Fatwa Committee of the National Council for Islamic Matters

    that was held from the 5th to 7th May, 2008 decided that the use of the word Allah is

    specific for Islam and the Muslims only.

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    Opinions from Islamic Scholars Abroad

    The Views of the Representative of Al-Azhar (the Vice Syeikh al-Azhar) and the

    Head of Inter-Religion Dialogue Committee (Lajnah) of al-Azhar, Fadhilat Al-

    SyeikhAbdul Fattah Allam

    He opined that the decision by the Malaysian government to forbid the usage of Allah

    among the non-Muslims is the right decision. This is because the word Allah cannot be

    equalised to the word Rabb which means The Existence. As we know, the non-

    Muslims name any god that they worship e.g.: rocks, animals, sun, and others as Allah.

    This is certainly very improper and against the meaning of the word Allah as what is

    written in the Quran and Hadiths (the Prophets sayings).21

    The Views from the Law Advisor of the Saudi Arabia Judicial Ministry, Syeikh

    Abdul Muhsin al-Abikan

    He opined that the approach by the Malaysian government is intended to prevent the

    misuse of Allah others than its actual meaning which is The All Creator (The Only God).

    This is because there are other religions that use the term Allah for their religion when

    in actual fact they worship deities, hence the name Allah should not be used to depict

    any other gods other than Him.22

    Kuwait Islamic Constitutional Movement Personality, Syeikh Abdul Hamid al-

    Ballali

    He fully supported the decision to prohibit the non-Muslims to use the word Allah as

    their gods name. He reasoned that the decision was very significant to preserve the

    true meaning of the word Allah. The people who fail to conserve their religious

    21The statement is made by him when the writer attended the Fatwa and Missionary Management Course from May-

    July 2009.22

    JAKIM Aqidah Section File

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    terminology are the people who are forgetful, when Allah s.w.t. has raised this group as

    the best of people.

    He also added that the Muslims should realise that there are many Islamic

    terminologies that have been exploited, misused or misled by certain parties. For

    instance, the word Syahid (Martyr) is also being used by the non-Muslims. The term

    Riba (Interest) has been changed to Bank Interest. Khamar (intoxicant) is changed

    to Soul Drink. Liwat (Sodomy) has been changed to same type relationship. The

    question now is - are the Muslims aware of the phenomena as the same awareness that

    has been shown by the Malaysian government?

    23

    The Governments Decision

    The decision by the Cabinet meeting dated 16th

    May, 1986 ruled that Allah is included

    in the prohibited terms to be used by the non-Muslims. In fact, the use of Allah,

    Baitullah, Solat (prayer) and Kaaba has been gazetted as exclusive for Muslims

    under the P.U. (A) 15/82 Report and KKDN.S.59/3/6/A Circular dated 5th December,

    1986. Meanwhile, the Cabinet who met on 3rd January, 2008 decided to let the ban to

    remain as had been decided on 18th

    October and 1st

    November, 2006 respectively.

    Conclusion

    Based on the arguments that have been stated above, there is no reason for the

    government to allow the Christians to use the word Allah. In fact, the governments

    decision is in tandem with Item 3 of Federal Constitution which has enthroned Islam as

    23JAKIM Aqidah Section File.

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    the Federal religion. Other religious groups in Malaysia are already aware that any issue

    related to Islam, either directly or indirectly, should respect the special position of Islam

    and the Malay Muslims in this country.

    References

    Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim

    Al-Thabari, Jamial-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Quran

    _______(1990), Mengapa Kalimah Allah?, Bahagian Hal Ehwal Islam, JPM KL.

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