International Trade and Industry deputy minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir is against the ruling.Allah word should be wholly owned by Muslims.
A jubilant Father Lawrence holds up an Arabic version of the Holy Bible, said to contain the word Allah
Malaysia’s battle for ‘Allah’ goes online
Like-minded Muslim Malaysians are banding together online in social network groups such as Facebook to oppose a High Court decision that allows Catholics to describe the Christian God as “Allah” in the national language.
As of 8am today, 10,000 accounts have signed up in the Facebook group page titled “Menentang Penggunaan Allah Oleh Golongan Bukan Islam” (Against Non-Muslims using the word Allah) to protest the Dec 31 judgment in favour of the Catholic weekly, Herald.
Among its members are International Trade and Industry deputy minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, a cross-section of youth members from political foes Umno and PAS and university students. Its adviser is controversial Mingguan Malaysia columnist Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah who has riled up non-Muslims with his idea of using population figures to determine benefits.
In the group description, it stated its objective is to oppose the use of “Allah” by non-Muslims which it alleged is an attempt to confuse Muslims.
“For the awakened Muslims, this is a propaganda by them (Christians) to confuse the Islam Ummah (community) now and in the future,” read the group description.
Just as in the group’s description, Umno hawks and Muslim conservatives alike have used similar arguments in their bid to put pressure on the relevant authorities to reverse the High Court decision and maintain exclusivity on the word “Allah” for Muslims.
Leaders like former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Selangor mentri besar Datuk Seri Khir Toyo and Umno Wanita chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil have also said that the court decision will create uneasiness among the different races.
Mukhriz — Dr Mahathir’s son — is known for his far-right controversial political stand while Ridhuan is a household name among conservatives
Though the group did not state its political affiliation, it is clear that its creators who uses the pseudonym “Ali Baba Bujang Lapok”, are inclined to Umno judging from how Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have been targeted and blamed for the controversy.
Progressive Islamist leaders like PAS Shah Alam and Kuala Selangor MPs, Khalid Samad and Dr Dulkefly Ahmad, have been derided as traitors to Islam for agreeing with the court decision.
PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim have also been accused of “gambling the sanctity of Islam” for his alleged support of the High Court decision.
An online research by The Malaysian Insider also found that various pro-Umno blogs have begun exploiting the sensitive controversy to underscore their tactics of portraying PR as anti-Islam.
This is however not entirely true. Known Islamic hardliner like PKR’s Zulkifli Noordin have openly voiced out his disagreement with the court decision.
The Malaysian Insider also understands that conservative camps within PAS are also at odds with their more progressive peers but have so far remain silent, presumably in an attempt to avoid confrontation with the more liberal elements within PKR and DAP.
The controversy over the word “Allah” has stirred huge debate among Christians and Muslims alike in Malaysia and attracted international attention as well.
The Home Minister, who controls giving the annual mandatory publishing permits in the country, had banned the church from using the word “Allah” outside the Muslim context.
But some questioned if there can be a copyright over the word “Allah”, which Muslim representatives say is a special word reserved to refer to the Muslim God, meaning “the one and only Almighty”.
Herald website hacked as ‘Allah’ battle intensifies
The online version of the Catholic weekly Herald was hacked twice since last night, two days after a High Court decision allowing Catholics to use “Allah” to describe the Christian God in the national language.
Father Lawrence Andrew, the priest-editor of the weekly, told The Malaysian Insider today that they first discovered technical disturbances on their website at 1am today.
“My technician had it sorted by this morning but then the problem started again early this evening. I can’t really tell you what the problem is but my technician confirms that we were hacked,” he said.
Andrew also disclosed that the website is now operating normally after the last attack was successfully neutralised.
Asked to comment on the incident, the St Anne Churh parish priest calmly replied it was best that he kept silent.
“I don’t want to say anything. I don’t want to add to the tension as this issue is a very sensitive one,” he said.
“It has been a long day,” he added in reference to the intensifying uproar over the court ruling.
Earlier in Penang, some 250 Umno Youth members took to the street to protest against the court ruling in front of the state’s High Court building.
Observers told The Malaysian Insider that protestors shouted “seditious” obscenities in protest against a ruling they described as an attempt to confuse Muslims.
In the virtual world, groups opposing the ruling have begun using popular social networking website like Facebook to rally support and call for the ruling’s reversal.
Muslim politicians from both sides of the divide are also up in arms over the Dec 31 decision by Justice Datuk Lau Bee Lan, expressing worry it could confuse Muslims who make up the majority of Malaysia’s 27 million population.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has appealed for calm, saying the Home Ministry will appeal against the ruling, indicating that the fight for Christians to use ‘Allah’ is far from over.
For Andrew, all this will only make his work to serve his community more difficult.
“So it’s best to keep silent,” he added.
PM Malaysia Najib will appeal against the decision of High Court.
PM Najib will see the Yang Dipertuan Agong and also the Council of rulers for their opinions, since the Agong and Sultan Sultan of Malaysia are in head of Islam in the country and their respestive states. Meanwhile the governement will appeal the decision.
As is known, an appeal can be made on the High Court decision to the Appeal Court and the Federal Court, he said when asked to comment on the various reactions to the High Court decision last Thursday that allowed Herald-The Catholic Weekly to use the word “Allah” in its publication.Najib said the Home Ministry will forward an appeal to the Court of Appeal.
