An Open Letter to PAS on ‘Allah’

FMT LETTER: From Jason Seong , via e-mail

First of all, I would like to state that the Sultan of Selangor, a truly people-oriented ruler and a down-to-earth figure, has been terribly ill-advised on the issue of the kalimah Allah. As one who embodies the role of Guardian of Islam in the state, the Sultan must realise that no decree of an Islamic council can bind non-Muslims. We are not under the jurisdiction of Syariah law.

Secondly, non-Muslims are now wondering how is the slogan, “PAS for all” consistent or compatible with the decision by the Syura Council to “forbid” Christians (and by extension, Sikhs and adherents of other faiths) from translating the word, “Allah” in the Bible ( and by extension the Holy Scriptures of the other non-Muslim faiths).

It is illogical to suppose that one can use the word, “Allah” in oral form but not in written form. After all, the meaning underlying both type of linguistic forms would be the same. Furthermore, how is this different from Umno’s move to impose a ban? This being the case, why should Christians support PAS?

As it is, forbidding non-Muslims from using the word, “Allah” whether in speech or text absolutely violates Article of 11 of the Constitution which provides for the freedom of religion as expressed in both profession and practice. It is a question of non-Muslim’s fundamental right to freedom of religion.

“Profession” here would correspond to verbal & written declaration of one’s faith; “practice” relates to ritual habits of non-Muslims as expressed in the divine liturgy for many Christians which would not only contain Bible readings but also follow a pre-scripted text.

PAS needs to ask why is it that Christians in the Middle East do not face such a situation? In fact, there are quite a few questions which PAS must face. How is the prohibition compatible with Islam as an Abrahamic religion? How is it compatible with Christians as “People of the Book”?

After all, there has never ever been such a decree within Judaism prohibiting Christians from claiming the Old Testament as part of their Holy Scriptures. And not least, Muslims have never ever been prohibited by Christians in the West from claiming that the prophets in the Quran refer to the prophets in the Old Testament and the Gospels.

Has this to do with the growing Islamisation in Malaysia? Islamisation can only breed even more extreme forms of Islam. That is the trajectory. In the Palestinian Territories, Hamas must now contend with Salafis and both are at each other’s throats. Pakistan’s current problems with religious extremism can be traced to the Islamisation initiated by Zia ul-Haq.

In a sense, the country is a failed state. Many Iranians, especially the young, are disillusioned with the rule of ayatollahs. In Indonesia, religious intolerance is rising since the downfall of Suharto. And of course, terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah (JI) consider themselves as “pure” Muslims. But I digress.

PAS must come to terms with the concrete reality of the situation. Non-Muslims respect Islam’s universally exclusive claims. But these claims however central cannot be imposed on non-Muslims. More over, the trend can become a dangerous precedent in the future.

The claim of the oneness of Allah as affirmed in the opening statement of the Syura Council’s “decree” that God is unbegotten and begets not presupposes and implies the Christian understanding of the Trinity. This is consistent with the Quran’s claim that it stands in the lineage of the Gospels albeit as the pure and uncorrupted form of divine revelation.

Is PAS going to next forbid Christians from referring to Jesus as the Son of God since He is Nabi Isa the son of Maryam in the Quran? After all, Jesus as the Son of God and Trinity goes together.

Or to put in another way, Jesus as the Son of Allah is also Allah the Son which of course is blasphemous and scandalous to Muslims. PAS has to realise that the concept of the oneness of God is not unique to Islam alone or even the Abrahamic religions.

It is also worth repeating here that Sikhism is monotheistic and Sikhs refer to their God as Allah. Even Hinduism in its original form is monotheistic. Just as Judaism and Islam understand monotheism in one way, so do Christians (and Sikihism and Hinduism understand monotheism in another way.

The Christian concept of the Trinity is not a concept. The oneness of God is not a mathematical one where you and I can count 1, 2,, 3 … and so on. It is beyond affirmation and negation. It is not a “thing,” and it is not also not-not a “thing.” In other words, it is beyond this world – intellectually and empirically.

That is to say, the oneness of God does not share the same logical status with human logic and experience so that oneness of God is opposed to the multiplicity of creation. But that God is both, simultaneously, one and three – “numbers” of which are absolutely unique and without parallel. God is both unity and multiplicity.

The unity of God is found in the Father the Almighty and the multiplicity of God is expressed in the eternal begottenness of the Son and the eternal procession of the Holy Spirit. God’s oneness, therefore, is “structured” around the divine Persons. God’s oneness is not a solitary oneness but a “social oneness” – a paradox to the human mind.

The closest analogy is the human family where propagation is physical and takes place in time and space takes place.

It is my sincere wish and hope that, especially for the sake of my East Malaysian, Orang Asli and Indonesian brothers and sisters in the faith, that good sense would prevail out of this controversy. Let us strive to respect, understand and accommodate one another in the spirit of national unity and Bangsa Malaysia.

I appeal to PAS not to infringe on the fundamental right of the Christians in Malaysia but rather work for solutions that would preserve both the parties’ concern and also of the non-Muslims who are anxious about the forthcoming general election.

From : Free Malaysia Today

Allah is not the problem. Mankind is.

FMT LETTER: From Lembu Susu, via e-mail

I wish to share my thoughts to laypersons and have intentionally omitted quoting scriptures from both the Quran and the Bible, so as to make it easy reading for both divide.

1 The word ‘Allah’ is meant only for Muslims and for all who hold the view that there is only one God, according to the PAS Majlis Syura. This view resonates well with the majority of Muslims in Malaysia. The non-Muslims and the Christians must understand that the reason PAS does not allow the word ‘Allah’ in the Bible translation was because of theological reason.

Christians hold the view that God is a Trinity; that is, the belief in a Triune God (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Though the Christians maintained that they believe in One God, but the concept of Trinity was unacceptable in Islam. Hence, if the Christians were to use the word ‘Allah’ for their God, then, it will not represent correctly the ‘Allah’ of the Muslim God.

2 The Christians, on the other hand, have a problem if they use the word ‘Allah’ without qualification. The problem is that the ‘Allah’ of the Bible is not the same as the ‘Allah’ of the Quran. For example, the Christians believe the Bible teaches monogamous marriages, but in the Quran, polygamy is allowed, albeit with certain conditions.

Moreover, in the Quran, jihad also involves wiping out infidels, which is not advocate at all in the New Testament of the Bible. Hence, when the Christians use the word ‘Allah’ for God, they have to clarify, that though the word ‘Allah’ is the same word being used for ‘God’ by both the Christians and the Muslims, yet, the ‘Allah’ revealed in the Bible is different from the ‘Allah’ in the Quran.

3 The bottom line is this: ‘Allah’ is just a word to denote ‘God’. It is how you will fill that word with meaning. This is where the teachings in the Quran and in the Bible gives meaning to the word  ‘Allah’ by each religion.

4 But if we were to look it in another angle, actually, Allah is greater than any human words can express. Allah cannot be confined to a word. The word is only necessary to help man connect to Him, but He is greater than a word. In fact, there is no word that is sufficient to address Him. He is beyond words. He cannot be reduced to just a word, ‘Allah’. He is greater than any words mankind can call Him.

5 So, on ‘Allah’s side, there is no issue for the Muslims and there is no issue for the Christians. He will never be confused by the Christians or by the Muslims.

6 As for Muslims and Christians, there were also no confusion with the word ‘Allah’, as the years has proven. It is how you fill the meaning of the word ‘Allah’ with. The teachings from the Quran and the Bible will give understanding and meaning to that word, by each one’s religion accordingly.

7 Every person will believe his or her religion is the correct and right one. Malaysia has existed in harmony all these years because of the mutual respect shown towards another’s religion and faith.

8 In each religion, it is only normal for their religion to tell them that theirs is the only and correct religion. Others are not. In fact, they are false. This is alright, because the constitution allow freedom of religion. But what a person believes must only be confined to himself or herself. They are not to extend what they believe onto others. If that is done, it will cause war.

9 Though Islam is the religion of the Federation, the Constitution allows freedom of religion. Hence, to stretch one’s believe and impose it on others infringes on the rights of a citizen.

10 The non-Muslims cannot impose on Muslims their beliefs, neither can the Muslims beliefs be imposed onto non-Muslims. Instead, there must be mutual respect for one another’s beliefs.

11 No one can tell another religion what word they can use and what word they cannot use. If this is allowed, it will breakdown the peace and harmony that was built and cherished all these the years. It will be the same as telling them, ‘you cannot practice your own religion, because your religion violates my religious beliefs’, and we all know that it is common for almost every religion, if adhered to fully, will violate against another. If this happens, then, there will be provocation and war.

So, in conclusion, may the one in authority not use their authority to impose one’s beliefs onto another, just because this is what they believe in. Instead, the call for restrain and respect for one another’s faith and belief should be paramount and upheld. Let the Muslims respect the non-Muslims’ faith and beliefs, and vice-versa, the non-Muslims respect the Muslims’ faith and beliefs.

If ‘Allah’ is consider a sacred word to the Muslims, then, keep in within the context of own religion. Don’t impose it on another, who may not share the same beliefs. The Christians have no intention to hurt or to confuse the Muslims. They are only asking for their right to practice their own religion, using a word that has been there and used all these years

From : Free Malaysia Today

Why Allah in Bahasa Bibles should be allowed

Many Muslims and even some Christians have misunderstood the use of “Allah” in Bahasa Bibles. To clarify some of the confusion:

1. The BM Bible or the Alkitab is not translated from the English Bible but from the original languages, ie Hebrew and Greek.

2. The Hebrew word for God is 'El' or 'Elohim' (similar root as 'Ilah' in Arabic) and 'Yahweh' for LORD. The Greek words are 'Theo' for God and 'Kurios' for Lord.

3. Biblical translators all over the world have used the local language terms for 'Elohim' and 'Yahweh' eg God and LORD in English; 'Dios' and 'Senor' in Spanish, 'Shangti' and 'Zhu' in Chinese

4. For 15 centuries, Arabic Bibles have used Allah for God and Rab for Lord (predate Islam)

5. The first Malay translation of the Bible was made in 1612, and Allah was used for God and Tuhan for Lord in this and all the subsequent translations till today.

6. Malay-speaking (and Iban) Christians have used the term Allah for more than a hundred years in Malaya and the Borneo states in worship, prayers and reading their holy scriptures.

7. Twenty million Christians in Indonesia have used Allah for years without any misunderstanding or objection.

8. English Bibles nor Bibles of other languages obviously do not use the Bahasa terms

9. Forbidding the use of the term “Allah” by Christians, not only infringes their rights to practise their faith but also lead to confusion. For example, is the “Tuhan” in Negara-Ku and Rukun Negara not the “Muslim God” or can Christians sing the Selangor anthem where “Allah” is used?

10. Theological meanings between Christianity and Islam will always be different whether the term used is “Allah” or “Tuhan” or “God”.

-harakahdaily

From : Malaysia Chronicles

Muhyiddin gets ready for TOP JOB: Another DISASTROUS 5 years from Umno-BN?

From : Malaysia-Chronicle

Written by  Nawawi Mohamad, Stan Lee, Malaysia Chronicle

What sort of choice do UMNO delegates have in their leadership lineup? That there is a dearth of talent in UMNO is well-known with even former premier and party president Mahathir Mohamad admitting as much.

This talent vacuum will be UMNO's deathblow - not the Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Dusun, Murut, the Dayaks or Ibans. Not even the Christians or Israel can be blamed. It is fair and square UMNO's own fault including Mahathir's for being selfish and wishing to keep the spoils of the game 'all within the family'.

Young & talented Malays wouldn't touch UMNO with a 10-foot pole

Young Malay leaders such as PKR's Nurul Izaah, Rafizi Ramli, PAS' Dzulkefly Ahmad, Khalid Samad or DAP's Zairil Khir Johari would never dream of touching UMNO with a 10-foot pole, so bad is its brand name. UMNO has simply become synonymous with corruption, racism, sex and gutter policing - you name it, the party has been caught doing it.

For UMNO leaders, the name of the game is not how to serve Malaysia but how to make money from Malaysia. For example, current party president Prime Minister Najib Razak carries a back-breaking amount of 'baggage', literally dragging UMNO down with his personal scandals and inability to make decisions.

Yet UMNO grins and puts up with it. They even accept Najib's panacea for all the criticism, which is to spend more of taxpayers money on public relations to magnify himself and to deny all negative accusations against his administration and party. As if the people have no minds of their own!

Worried Mahathir steps in

Yet no amount of money can hide the fact that Malay support for UMNO is dwindling and Najib's personal popularity on the slide. The recent Merdeka Center survey shows his approval rating still on the down slide - now at 64% - and BN's at an all-time low of 42% due mainly to erosion of support from the Malays.

So worried is Mahathir that Najib will commit another disaster at the 13th general election that the 87-year-old has decided to step in and pull the strings before it is too late. That is how bad the situation is in UMNO. The only weapon Najib has in his hand is the timing of the GE-13 and he is using this to hold the 'warlords' to ransom.

Party insiders say his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin is "simply pretending" not to be challenging Najib at this critical moment because Najib is already under control - Mahathir's!

Lesser evil

So, while waiting for further orders from Mahathir, who still wields enormous influence, Muhyiddin has been carrying on with his daily activities as if all is fine in UMNO. Some even say Muhyiddin is smiling to himself, under the happy impression that he just has to wait for the big moment to come when he will replace Najib whether UMNO and the BN coalition it leads wins or loses in the GE-13.

In the past, such a prospect would have raised a howl of horror around the UMNO divisions in the country because Muhyiddin too has his own baggage, albeit less heavy and controversial than Najib's. Nonetheless, the fear used to be that if UMNO-BN wins, he would become Prime Minister and that would be a disaster for Malaysia like an earthquake with a reading of 7 on the Richter scale and an epicenter in Putrajaya.

But with Najib's failure to do better and Mahathir proving all his critics right that he is the darkest and most dangerous force in the UMNO-BN blocking a more normal democratic rule in a multiracial Malaysia, Muhyiddin as PM has become less alarming.

It is the classic case of being the lesser of many evils.

Muhyiddin the next disaster from UMNO

Let's try to understand the 64-year-old Muhyiddin and what makes him tick. People can understand each other better amongst their own peer groups, culture and race. For example, students and youths understand their own peers. They can appreciate, envy and emulate each other, yet for motivation, people will always aim high and look beyond their own group.

That is how people should be motivated and in Malaysia's endeavor to be a developed and great nation with high-income levels, the leadership must be able to set a high standard and work towards achieving it. It should never look back, nor should it ever lower the benchmark.

Yet Muhyiddin has displayed a different kind of mentality. His views are not in sync with what one would expect of a true leader at all. During a “buka puasa” (breaking of the Muslim fast) event organized by the Ministry of Information in collaboration with JAKIM and MAIWP, Muhyiddin proudly proclaimed that,”It has been proven that the world looks at Malaysia as a special nation that should be envied.”

Now, there is nothing wrong with his statement but when he explained that his conclusion is based on the comments by visitors from Palestine, Somalia and Afghanistan, it is laughable and his naivete becomes the joke. With such low satisfaction levels signifying commensurately low IQ, Muhyiddin looks set to become the next disaster from UMNO if it wins GE-13 and he is selected to be prime minister in place of Najib Razak.

From Tiger economy to starving African nation

Malaysia was once the envy of other nations like Korea and Japan for our football. Our economic development projects were the envy of many Afro-Asian nations and we initially led South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan - believe it or not! That is how far the nation has fallen and Malaysia is now competing with Thailand. Even Indonesia, the worst hit during the 1998 Asian crisis, has pulled away thanks to sincere reform and better leadership.

Despite the showy Economic Transformation Programs launched by the Najib administration, even Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and the Philippines are catching up. So Muhyiddin may not only be too unambitious and mundane in his aspirations for Malaysia's future but he may have no choice but to compare his nation with Palestine which is not even a sovereign nation, or Somalia which is devastated by civil war and Afghanistan which has been destroyed by the US and its allies. All these are third world countries, all of them in such bad shape.

If Muhyiddin used them as benchmarks, he may be right in that Malaysia is heaven by comparison. But it surely speaks volumes of the depths Malaysia has plunged to after 55 years of BN rule.

Mahathir who used to propagate the “Malaysia Boleh” or (Malaysia Can Do It) slogan, launching the tallest twin towers in the world to inspire the nation has now lowered his standard. The Petronas Twin Towers were briefly the world's highest buildings until they were overtaken by other newer constructions in China and the Middle East. It looks like Mahathir's lofty aspirations were just as short-lived and he too is now 'slumming'.

Mahathir recently said in defending the present status of the Malaysian economy, “Financially and economically, we are not too badly off. The cost of living has gone up a little but people are not starving the way the Africans and some Asians are starving. A generous government is ever ready to extend help."

Imagine, Malaysia - one amongst the Tiger economies in powerhouse Southeast Asia -  now being compared to the poorest African nations, where starvation is not yet an eradicated risk.

Dr M admitting he didn't do a good job at all!

Indirectly Mahathir is admitting that his 22-year rule has not done much at all in making Malaysia a developed nation. His critics say this is because whatever he put in with his right hand, he took out more than triple with his left hand.

It is obvious Mahathir has long ago bid goodbye to Vision 2020 - if ever he was serious about it at all. Many pundits say Vision 2020 that aimed for a Bangsa Malaysia without racial lines was just his way of appeasing the people after they nearly threw him out of office for sacking and jailing his deputy Anwar Ibrahim on trumped-up sodomy charges.

So if someone as racist as Mahathir can rule Malaysia for 22 years and get away with it by planting one excuse after another, why not Muhuyiddin who has already shown similar signs of using racial politics to become popular with his 'Malay first, Malaysian next' statement.

By the way Mahathir may be right in comparing Malaysia with Africa. Yes, the Southeast Asian nation is not yet like any of the poorer African countries but with the present trend of leadership and the unabated greed and corruption of its leaders, it can easily be. Especially if UMNO-BN continues to rule after GE-13, Greek and Africa-like crises may be Malaysia's to experience next