Disputes over the use of ‘Allah’ and the seizure of Bibles have contributed to ill will against the Government. Such action is seen as infringing on the rights of non-Muslims to profess their religion.

YOU can download the entire Bible, whether in Bahasa Malaysia or Bahasa Indonesia, from the Internet. But to publish the Bible in the national language is a problem as it is restricted.

Churches that have tried to import the Bahasa Indonesia version have found it to be a hurdle too. The crux of the problem is the use of the word “Allah” in the Bible in the Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia versions. That has led to the current controversy over the confiscation of 15,000 Bibles in Bahasa Indonesia in recent months.

The Government and religious authorities have pointed out that it has been a long practice in Malaysia that the word “Allah” in reference to God is used only by Muslims.

The churches, in turn, have said that they too used the word hundreds of years ago as Malay was the lingua franca of the region.

At a meeting with Home Ministry officials last week, Rev Father Andrew Lawrence, the editor of Catholic Herald, drew attention to a Malay-Latin dictionary published in 1631 which showed the translation for “Allah” and a Catholic prayer book published in 1894 brought over from Hong Kong.

In short, the word has been used outside the Muslim context for some 400 years.

In Malacca, the word had been frequently used by Peranakan Christians during prayers for a long time. The Sikhs have also reportedly said they use the word in their prayers.

The Government’s concern is this – the frequent use of the word “Allah” may lead to confusion among Muslims and may arouse sensitivity. Islamic scholars in Malaysia have also argued their case over the word “Allah” to justify why it should be restricted to Muslims.

Group pressure

Issues of conversion and tussles over bodies of deceased converts (for burial), custody disputes and forcible separation have frequently led to high emotions in this country.

We should not be too quick to dismiss these concerns as the security of the country should never be compromised. The Home Ministry is doing its job and it has a responsibility to uphold.

The ministry, too, faces tremendous pressure from the powerful Muslim groups that are also pushing their agenda. It has certainly not been easy for the federal government in the context of the growing political clout of PAS and the fight for the Malay majority votes.

The other banned words for Christian publications are solat (prayer), kaabah (Islam’s holiest shrine in Mecca) and Baitullah (House of God). These, however, are not used in Christian literature.

Still, the Government has to consider the growing spiritual needs of a large section of young non-Muslims who are more comfortable with the national language. This is the impact of the national language policy where young Malaysians are now finding it much easier to read in Malay, whether Bahasa Malaysia or Bahasa Indonesia, than English.

It is perplexing that the Bahasa Malaysia Bible has to be classified under Section 22 of the Internal Security Act as a document prejudicial to national security. It is ridiculous that the Holy Scripture should be put into that category.

It must also be pointed out that while almost anything can be found on the Internet, in the rural parts of Sabah and Sarawak where basic infrastructure is still an issue, let alone Internet connections, the Bahasa Indonesia Bible is badly needed.

It is good that Home Ministry officials, including staff from the Publication and Quranic Texts, took time to listen to Bro Lawrence at a meeting arranged by Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein’s aides Datuk Lau Yeng Peng and Datuk Michael Chong.

Chong, who heads the MCA Public Service and Com­plaints Department, is an adviser to the minister. He is also a Catholic.

Such engagement between church bodies and the ministry should be held regularly to allow both sides to understand each other’s needs.

Dealing with bigotry

Hishammuddin must be commended for clearing the air with his statement that the printing permit of Catholic Herald, the country’s only Catholic publication, has not been revoked.

He said Catholic Herald still had its permit to print its weekly newsletter in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese and Tamil.

We hope the permit to print in Kadazan would be approved eventually too. Why should barriers be placed for Kadazans who want to learn about their faith in their native language? It is certainly unconstitutional.

The perception is that Catholic Herald has to fight its case annually to get its printing permit renewed. Why should it have to go through this annually?

Delays in renewing and seizures of Bibles have contributed to the backlash against the Government. It is unnecessary and would be perceived by fair-minded Malaysians as infringing on the rights of non-Muslims to profess their religion.

At the state level, Protestants continue to struggle over church buildings with most congregations having to pray in office complexes, which are hardly ideal locations for those in search of peace and calm.

Churches often encounter difficulties dealing with some bigoted officials at local authorities who seem to impose their religious bias even when politicians have given their support.

God surely does not need or want us to compete for His attention.

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