:: news on usage of the word 'Allah' ::

Again, I'm just being lazy. I'm quoting news from two English newspapers in Malaysia (the Star Online and the New Straits Times Online. Surprisingly, I didn't get to read this news in my usual online Malay language newspapers. Oh, maybe I did missed it somehow.. Or..?)

I'm just putting it here for readings by the public, in case your usual newspaper didn't put it up (or in case, you missed it somehow).

my suggestion?? Well, I guess, why don't the authorities, such as the Home Ministry specify and provide details in the open on how the identification of materials should be? Like a label of a certain size, fonts and color to be put at specified location on the front page to specify that the materials are only meant for Christians, etc? You know, something like the label you got on cigarette box, or like the label 'R+' for some magazines in oversea? And make the specification public, just like how we get to know how to detect a real currency when we change to the new design.

And while they're there, why don't you provide free stickers to the importers so that they put onto the other materials imported from oversea? And make a law or confiscation for anyone not following it?

And make the Islamic authorities of each state to produce, publish and distribute pamphlets to let Muslims know that articles of that nature should have the label, and it is not meant for the Muslims?

Catch the drift? Kinda like killing two birds with on stone, hey?And that is, given that if it is OK with the Constitution.. (Lawyers, any help here?)



anyway, here goes the two articles from the online newspapers..

1) from NST Online (2009/02/26, by Hamidah Atan):

Christian publications can use 'Allah' on condition

PUTRAJAYA, THURS:

Christian publications are now allowed to use the word "Allah" as long as they state that the materials are only meant for Christians.

Home Ministry Quran Publication Control and Text Division secretary Che Din Yusoh said the move which came into effect on Feb 16 followed the gazettement of the cabinet's decision in 1986.

The cabinet's decision was that Christian publications were banned from using four words - Allah, Baitullah, Kaabah and solat (prayer) - unless the publications clearly stated that the materials were only meant for Christian followers.

"We decided to gazette the move recently. However, those who failed to adhere to this condition will have their publications seized by the ministry's enforcement officers.

"We will be firm to ensure compliance. It is only fair that they adhere to it," he said.

Reverend Lawrence Andrew, the editor of the Catholic Church's The Herald, was quoted by a news portal as saying that the ministry is allowing the publications to use "Allah" to refer to God as long as they state that the material is only meant for Christians.

The controversy first broke out in late 2007 when the government banned the use of “Allah” in Christian Malay-language texts because it allegedly might confuse Muslims.

The Herald has challenged the ban in court.

The Herald publishes in English, Mandarin, Tamil and Bahasa Malaysia to cater to its multi-ethnic faithful. It has a circulation of 14,000 copies.





2) And this is from The Star Online (Published: Thursday, 26th February 2009, 6:26pm Malaysian time):

Christian publications can use the word “Allah"

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government has allowed Christian publications to use the word ``Allah'' to refer to God as long as they specify the material is not for the majority Muslims, a church official said Thursday.

The Feb 16 order issued by Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar is an apparent softening of its stand by the government, which had earlier banned the use of the word in all Christian texts.

The government argued that Allah is an Islamic word and its use by others might confuse Muslims, who might think Allah refers to their God.

The Herald, the Roman Catholic Church's main newspaper in Malaysia, has already started printing ``For Christianity'' on its cover, said its editor Rev. Lawrence Andrew.

The Herald publishes weekly in English, Mandarin, Tamil and Malay with an estimated readership of 50,000.

The ban on ``Allah'' concerns mainly the Malay edition, which is read mostly by indigenous Christian tribes in the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak. The other three editions usually do not use ``Allah.''

Andrew said although the order ``makes things easier'' for the Herald, the paper will not drop its legal challenge against the ban. A court is due to hear arguments in the case on Friday.

The Herald is arguing that the Arabic word is a common reference for God that predates Islam and has been used for centuries as a translation in Malay.

Andrew said the new order is still a violation of religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution because Christians will not be able to use any literature that does not carry the statutory warning on the cover, including a lot of imported material.

He said most Malay-language Bibles in Malaysia are imported from Indonesia, where the language is more widely spoken.

``If this (order) is enforced, it will be difficult to possess materials ... from Indonesia, and thus practicing our religion will not be easy. This goes against ... the Constitution,'' he told The Associated Press.

Andrew said the order also prohibits the use of three other Arabic words ``solat,'' or prayer, ``Kaaba,'' a holy site in Saudi Arabia, and ``baitullah,'' or house of God without the statutory warning.

Ministry officials could not immediately be reached for comments.

Home Minister Syed Hamid's aide said he would only be available for comment Monday.-AP