YOURSAY 'This misunderstanding of the use of Allah is going to further divide the Muslims more than the non-Muslims.'

Scholars counter 'infidel' argument over 'Allah'

Versey: It is brilliant of former Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin to use the court in England as an example to illustrate the point that the Court of Appeal ruling on the Allah issue is as absurd as if the court in England were to bar Muslims there from using the word ‘Jesus' in the Quran because "Muslims' understanding of Jesus is different to the Christian understanding".

Why not our government invite all the prominent Muslim scholars to come over here for an open debate to resolve this issue once and for all?

It would bring much benefit to not only people of different faiths; by easing the issue, everyone can then focus on their tasks at hand to help bring the nation economically, politically and socially back on track.

Joe Friday: It is very comforting to have learned Muslim scholars such as Asri in our midst to drum in some sensibility into the ignorant Muslims, including the appellate court judges on the issue at hand.

Whatsup: See? Yet again, when hell breaks lose and all seem lost to the devils, there appears angels to the defene.

Umno will, surely, one day - hopefully soon - be cast out as more God-fearing true believers find their voice and courage to confront the devil that is haunting the rakyat for so long.

Saintonthego: The problem is we have allow politicians to adulterate the purity of religion. Now the people who are supposedly experts in religions affairs are coming out with all sorts of justifications to right the wrong of the politicians.

Changenow: The National in United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a beautiful explanation about the advent of Islam and its purpose.

The Arabs do not appear to be confused over their religions unlike the Malay Muslims, who seem to be confused over it all the time with different scholars and muftis coming out with different interpretations of its practice which shouldn't be after so many years of its existence here and when it is the official religion.

In any religious practice, there should be no confusion over it, otherwise you are insulting God. It should be as certain as the sun and the stars.

Worried Sick: Dear friends, why are you blaming all Muslims in the country for the decision made by the three Court of Appeal judges? Is it fair to them? What makes you sure that all of them are involved in this matter and really want the Christians not to use the term in dispute?

The judgment is the opinion of the three judges. It could be overturned by the Federal Court. Please do not jump the gun. Of course, people like Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa will never talk logic. Just ignore them.

Our Muslim brothers and sisters are just like all of us who want a peaceful and progressive nation. So please do not spew hatred against all Muslims or all Umno Muslims. That is really unfair.

Odin: Worried Sick, I am one of those who totally disagree with the decision of the three stooges, but rest assured that I am one of those who are sensible and so do not blame all Muslims.

Well, ex-Johor mufti Nooh Gadut, I think you have spoken without thinking, or you have said something your paymasters like to hear, or you are in fact not as knowledgeable about the Quran as you have deceived others into believing.

Speaking of which, I do not remember hearing of you having spoken against corruption and quoted from the Quran to point out that it is against Islam.

Dr Suresh Kumar: Asri, should disseminate his message on the Allah issue during his sermons to his Muslim followers and listeners. In doing so, he would be able to help them understand the truth as prescribed in the holy Quran.

At present, the Muslims in Malaysia, especially Malay Muslims, are subjected to opposing views or ideas, not limited to the Allah issue but also many other issues.

For instance, muftis who are aligned to Umno give completely different views as compared to the likes of Asri and the PAS-linked muftis. Who wouldn't be confused?

Therefore, the significance of engaging the targeted group directly by learned Muslim scholars cannot be overstated.

Cry, My Beloved Country: Thank you Asri and religious scholar Wan Ji for trying to restore rationality and sanity to the ongoing debate.

All Malaysians need you as well as other Islamic scholars to speak up and expose the vacuity of political expediency for what it has come to be as well as the wannabes hopping on to its bandwagon. Politicians cannot be allowed to play God.

Headhunter: As the saying goes, a little knowledge is dangerous. We have religious personalities who like to proclaim this and that and accusing others as infidels when they cannot agree with them or refuse to share their views.

The problem is that many of these so-called religious teachers are just playing apple polishing politics and making fool of themselves in the process when their proclamations are debunked by experts

Marde Parde: I think this misunderstanding of the use of Allah is going to further divide the Muslims more than the non-Muslims, but never under estimate the power of Allah - the losers will be the people who brought the holy name of Allah into disrepute by using it for political purposes.

The Sikhs refer to God as Allah in our holy Guru Granth Sahib about 36 times. If this ruling is to be taken seriously, Perkasa can close down the Sikh Gurdawaras and go against the freedom of religion in our constitution.

Milosevic: Malaysia is a land of endless possibilities. Now Malaysian Islam is at the forefront of innovation and change. Umno and its surrogate agencies, abetted by Islamo-fascist organisations, are working towards making Malaysia the chosen land.

That means reinterpreting history and even the contents of the Quran to fortify Islam and Muslims. I am sure Allah is bemused but I worry that Allah might also be a bit upset that the content of the Quran is also being altered to fit in with the view that Allah is only for Muslims.

As knowledgeable Muslim scholars have pointed out, it is self-evident that Muslims, Christians and Jews pray to the same God, and the word Allah predates Islam.

So what is happening in Malaysia, for all the talk about apostasy and deviancy in religion, is the rejection of the meaning of the Quran in the first place while defending a very narrow use of the word ‘Allah'.

Iiiizzzziiii: If everyone sticks to their believe and practice where religion is concerned, then this world will be a much better place to live in.

Does spending time arguing over who can or cannot use a word to refer to God bring one closer to God? Does God need humans to protect and safeguard His name and glory? What exactly are we engaging in here? A popularity contest with a political flavour?

Abasir: I suppose Malaysia under Umno will continue to win the sniggers and derision of the world for all the right reasons - sky rocketing corruption, plummeting academic standards, the world's most bloated civil service indulging in the serial abuse of public funds, dangerously incompetent ministers who shoot of their mouths before engaging their brains, prosecutors who demonstrate self-strangulation, submarines that refuse to submerge, a police force that tosses its guns to the bottom of the sea, an education ministry that outsources its blueprint to consultants, a home minister who detains an MP for her own protection ... and now this act of extreme stupidity even as self-absorbed, high living, image-building prime minister runs around the world promoting 'moderation'.

Just when you think, you have seen the worst of their imbecility, these fellows, propped up by arrogance and pomposity, surprise you with an even greater display of stupidity.

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