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The battle for Allah, confusing the chaff and the wheat?

Rozhan Othman
FEBRUARY 03, 2014

In the end, the battle over the use of the word Allah by Christians is becoming a legal battle. It has become about which side is able to win the case in Malaysian court. Often, the impression one gets is that Muslims in Malaysia are under siege. In spite of being less than 10% of the population, the impression created is that Christians in Malaysia are circling Muslims and are about to pounce on them. Unfortunately, the debate on this issue obscures the fundamental question of what are the ailments afflicting Muslims in Malaysia. The first Malay translation of the Bible was published in 1851. It was translated by Munshi Abdullah who is considered by many as the father of Malay literature. When he agreed to undertake the translation of the Bible, many, including his father, reacted negatively. In fact, his father was concerned that he may end up becoming a Christian. Munshi Abdullah remained a Muslim and died in Jeddah on his way to perform the haj. There was no avalanche of Muslims converting to Christianity. Will the use of the word Allah by Christians today suddenly create this avalanche? The truth is, non-Muslims in Malaysia have been using the word Allah for a long time, in fact, some are required to do so. The emblem of the various security forces in Malaysia including the police, army, navy and air force include the words Allah and Muhammad. Personnel in these forces, Muslims and non-Muslims, are required to wear them on their cap and for some, on their rank. They wear it to work, for example, to their office, during field operation and well, when they go to the loo. Every Muslim knows that taking Quranic verses into the loo is a sacrilege. It naturally comes as a surprise that when non-Muslims want to use the word Allah for sacred purposes it is not allowed. The Quran recognizes that Christians and Jews are part of the People of the Book. Their religion is recognized as revealed religions and that Islam is a continuation of the message brought earlier by Moses and Jesus. Logically, the three religions worship the same God. Their interpretation of this God may be different, but the Quran has always recognized this. Why then cant they use the same word to refer to the same God?

The argument used to object to the use of the word Allah by Christians is that it would cause confusion and mislead Muslims. But why would it confuse or mislead Muslims? The typical Muslim in Malaysia would undergo 11 years of Islamic study during their primary and secondary school. In addition, many attend extra Quranic classes after school. Suddenly, all these years of education come to naught and they become confused because other religions also use one word commonly used in their religion? In order to verify the hypothesis that Muslims would be misled by the use of the word Allah, I asked a friend who was Christian and whose father is a priest. He embraced Islam, but because of his earlier life, understands well about those who converted to Christianity. He explained that in those instances where Muslims converted to Christianity, it was usually because of poverty, social problems (usually marital problems) and in some cases because of romantic relationship. For those who converted to Islam during their marriage to a Muslim and then returned to their old religion, it is usually because of the failure of their marriage. Will preventing Christians from using the word Allah address any of these problems? The so-called NGOs and pseudo-warriors of Islam may be able to win the legal battle over use of the word Allah or may at least be able to impose their will through threats, intimidation and violence, but are they really solving the pressing problems facing the Muslims in Malaysia? Malay-Muslims continue to be over-represented among drug addicts (almost 70%), HIV patients (more than 70%), the poor and the mat rempit community. Divorce rate among Muslim couples are also on the rise. All these problems exist in spite of a government dominated by the Malays, in spite of religious departments being given considerable authority in regulating marriages and in spite of hundreds of millions being collected as zakat. Even if these pseudo-warriors of Islam win the legal battle to prevent other religions from using the word Allah, will it remedy any of these ailments in the Muslim community in Malaysia? These pseudo warriors of Islam can shout, scream and cheer as loud as they like, but the reality is the Muslim community is rotting from within. As the Malay expression says it, menang sorak, kampung tergadai. I cant speak behalf of Christians but I am curious and cannot avoid asking how central is the use of the word Allah in Christianity? Will the Christian faith be weakened if Christians do not use the word Allah? I spent three years of my life in the Republic Ireland where Catholicism is the dominant religion. Yet, the word Allah is not used there. If Christians in Malaysia win the right to use the word Allah, will it make much of a difference to the practice of Christianity in Malaysia? I honestly do not know the answer. It is, however, worrying to see that this tussle may well be a trap set by political opportunists.

And are Christians walking into an ambush, just as the political opportunists intended it? Again, I do not know for sure. Its just a question that came to my mind. It may well be that both sides of the tussle are fighting over chaff and forgetting the wheat that matters most. For Muslims in Malaysia, there are pressing issues that need to be resolved. This battle over the use of the word Allah is a distraction that diverts their attention from these pressing issues. Winning the legal battle over the use of the word Allah would not matter much if these problems c ontinue to fester and destroy the community from within. Drug abuse, HIV, poverty and divorce are bigger threats to the Muslim community and will undermine its cohesion and weaken its moral fibre. Perhaps this crisis is a smoke screen to insulate Muslims from their problems and the failures of their leaders. In the end all they get is chaff. * Rozhan Othman is an academician at a local university. * This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

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