It is preposterous for people to suggest that Christians' use of the word ‘Allah’ is a new phenomenon meant to confuse Muslims, says a reader.

On Permit without BM section likely for Herald

Lina J: Here we go again debating the use of the word ‘Allah’.

Growing up in a Christian longhouse in the 60s and 70s, the name ‘God the Father’ that I came to know was ‘Allah Bapa’ or simply ‘Tuhan Allah’ or ‘Allah’. I had no idea that Muslims also called their God ‘Allah’.

It is preposterous for people to suggest that Christians' use of the word ‘Allah’ is a new phenomenon meant to confuse Muslims. We use the word ‘Allah’ because we use Bahasa Indonesia in our church services and the Indonesian bible which refers to God the as Allah, having been translated from the Arabic bible. As some of our esteemed readers have enlightened us, Allah is simply the Arabic term for God. As the Indonesian bible was translated into many Borneo and Orang Asli languages, ‘Allah’ is the term used to refer to God in our churches.

Many of our older folks only know of God as Allah because they are uneducated in other languages. For the government to tell us that we can no longer use the term is indeed to confuse them. Look who is confusing who.

As for us, younger and educated Christians, we could not care less. God is God no matter what language you use and no matter what name he is called. We find it very insulting for others to tell us what we can call our God. It is oppressive and it violates our human rights. At the end of the day, God is bigger than all creation. His name does not need to be "protected" by a bunch of narrow-minded bigots.

Otto Steinmayer, PhD:

Actually, the original ‘Malay’ word for God is ‘Hyang’ or ‘Sang Hyang’. The word for ‘pray’ - sembayang - comes from the combination ‘sembah Hyang’. I have put ‘Malay’ in quotation marks because the word ‘Hyang’ can be traced back to at least 1,500 years ago before the Malay language, as it is now, existed.

JTB: I feel that the Christian community should not get upset if Johari Baharum has decreed that non-Muslims cannot use the Arabic A-word to describe God. He must have had the blessings of the prime minister himself to make such a decree. Now we know that there is a Muslim God and a non-Muslim God. Both Gods have names except that the non-Muslim God can be called by any name except the A-word.

I cannot help but think that perhaps Johari Baharum is telling all Muslim that their creator is a God they call ‘Allah’. This begs the question, who then is the creator of the rest of the non-Muslim world? Perhaps those in intellectual think-tanks like Iklim and the brilliant scholars from PAS would like to share their views on this decree.

So what if the word ‘Allah’ has been used for centuries by Jews, Christians and Muslims as the perfect description of one God? So what if the whole world knows that the word ‘Allah’ is used by the three Abrahamic faiths? I think in the entire Muslim world, Malaysia is the only country to decree the exclusive use of the word ‘Allah’ to Muslims. It has been copyrighted!

On Gerakan Youth 'shocked' by Paranjothy's comments

Ganesan Doraisami:

Gerakan, who used to be BN’s opposition, wants to discipline its member for agreeing with Hindraf that Indian Malaysians are becoming fourth class citizens. This is what Umno has achieved. What it cannot defeat in elections, it swallows into Barisan Nasional and now Gerakan is kissing Umno’s backside. It is not “racially sensitive” unless it is sensitive to the Malays.

The government needs to define what racial sensitivity is. Not everything can be racially sensitive. If that is the case then no social progress can be made. One can argue that the NEP and Malay privileges are racially-sensitive policy. If asking for equality constitutes racial sensitivity then what constitutes inequality?

Every Malaysian regardless of race has the right to question inequality. Gerakan has shown that party loyalty is more important then loyalty to the people. Is Gerakan in power because of the people or because of Barisan National? Gerakan used think independently but now it asks Umno for permission to think. This is pretty much the state of all BN component parties.

On A Gandhi-inspired mass civil disobedience

Mano:

When the Nov 25 Hindraf rally was planned, many of us were in great apprehension as to what will happen. Many Indians and non-Indians will agree that the language of most Indian youths is violence. But in the aftermath of the rally, first-hand news from supporters was totally contrary to what we expected. In fact, they remained non-violent in the face of provocation. If the then unknown Hindraf leaders can lead the youth and others peacefully, does it not mean that Indian youths can be taught non-violence? If so, who and what has made these same youths violent? Could it be the backing of some politicians who depend on gangsters to prop them up? They have brought these youth down the wrong path for their own benefits.

Shaiful Yazan Rose: Bagi saya, Hindraf adalah perjuangan kaum India dan saya hormati ini. Akhbar arus perdana dan media elektronik milik kerajaan telah memutarbelitkan perkara ini sebagai provokasi perkauman. Sebagai orang Melayu yang waras, saya melihat perkara ini dari kekotak pemikiran yang terbuka. Bukannya Hindraf yang menjadi ganas tetapi polis kita yang dipergunakan 100 peratus maximanya oleh pemerintah B-End.

On Anwar: I'm no political chameleon

Dr Raj: Judging by the way Anwar is moving and garnering support nationwide, Barisan Nasional will self-destruct in no time. Soon we will see fingers being pointed and fighting within the BN. If you need proof, observe Zaid Ibrahim, Dr Toh Kin Woon, Devamany and Paranjothy. It is only a matter of time. If Pak Lah thinks that things will get better, he is dead wrong. He better call for elections now, while he can still scrape through.

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