BIBLE WILL AFFECT MUSLIM

By : FARAH HARITH, IDA NADIRAH and SM AMIN

KUALA LUMPUR: A former Christian missionary who is now a Muslim convert believes that the 'kalimah Allah' should not be used in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible.

This, he said, was for the reason that it could lead to confusion among Muslims, especially those without strong religious foundation.

Ustaz Tajuddin Othman Abdullah, a former Catholic priest in Sabah turned Muslim religious teacher, cautioned that should the 'kalimah Allah' be used in the BM version of the Bible, the effects would first be felt heavily on the youths.

"If the word 'Allah' Is allowed to be used in the BM version of the bible, it will be opening the word to be interpreted in a way different than what we are used to in the Quran.

"When this happens, youngsters without a strong Islamic background will easily get confused. Even those with a strong background can falter, what more those without," he claimed, citing an incident several years ago when female students of a Muslim religious school in Kelantan were found to be wearing cross necklaces underneath their robes.

Tajuddin stressed that the definition of 'Allah' differs in Islam and Christianity. He said, when Christians use it in their sermons, Allah refers to the father of Jesus Christ, whereas in Islam, Allah has neither offspring nor father and has no partners.

He insisted that this huge difference in meaning may lead to the word 'Allah' being misused.

He cited an example of the wearing of the cross by Christians.

"Christians can wear necklaces or jewellery bearing the symbol of the cross anywhere. However, Muslims, for example, cannot wear anything that bears the name of Allah into unclean places, such as the lavatory.

"If the word 'Allah' becomes synonymous with both religions here, there is nothing to prevent the word being merchandized and misused, with little regard for its sanctity."

Touching on the usage in his former clergy, Sabah, as well as Sarawak, Tajuddin claimed that bibles with the word 'Allah' is widely used in East Malaysia because the bibles are imported from Indonesia.

"The bibles have been imported from Indonesia since before Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaysia. Those bibles are the ones still in use until today."

Tajuddin added that in Indonesia, the word 'Allah' is still used in bibles because they subscribe to the term 'members of the book'. However the term is no longer valid to Muslims today because the bible has gone through several modifications, which means it is no longer the original bible that came down to Prophet Isa.

"The matter of 'Allah' in bibles was not a big thing in Sabah and Sarawak, particularly because Islam is not really strong there. Many who converted to Islam have since reverted to their former faiths," he opined.

Tajuddin also expressed his disappointment at DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng’s decision to bring the issue back into the limelight.

"Why must he bring this matter up now? It’s because the elections are near," he claimed.

He was also disappointed that PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, has decided to back Pakatan Rakyat's supreme council’s agreement in allowing non-Muslims to use the word 'Allah'.

"Although PAS' Syura Council has said that non-Muslims cannot use the word 'Allah', it matters little as the coalition’s supreme council trumps the former’s decision,” he said.

Meanwhile, Muslim speaker Ustaz Ridzwan Rajendra believed that it is important to address the issue now rather than later.

He believed that those ‘behind the call’ have long-term plans in store.

"They aren’t looking at the present. We are talking perhaps 50 years ahead, when the line between Islam and Christianity in Malaysia becomes blurred," he claimed.

Ridzwan echoed the view that it is the Muslim youths who will feel the full effect of the decision, should it happen.

"The young Muslim generation of today is not as before, and if their faith isn’t strong, it will worsen another 50 years in the future," he claimed.

He also chided religious scholars within political parties whom he claimed were only using the issue as political fodder.

"Religious scholars in political parties should know better than to offer their views of religion purely with politics in mind. This is something that should not be politicized as it can bear great significance and impact upon Muslims," he claimed.

KAMAL: Some of our young Muslim generation are Islam by name, but they lack the Islamic qualities.KAMAL: Some of our young Muslim generation are Islam by name, but they lack the Islamic qualities.Meanwhile, religious speaker Datuk Kamal Muhamad said it would not be relevant to compare the use of the word ‘Allah’ here to the Middle East.

Kamal, who is also former Tabung Haji director, said although this is normal in Middle Eastern countries, this however could stir confusion within the Muslim community within Malaysia, particularly those whose faith aren’t strong.

"It's all about context. We cannot compare our nation to that of the Middle Eastern countries, as it is a norm for them to refer to God as 'Allah', but there are no confusion between the Muslims and non-Muslims as to whom their God is. However, in Malaysia, it's a different story.

"Especially within the young Muslim generation, they are Islam by name but they lack Islamic qualities. I'm not sure to what extent the Muslims come across the Bahasa Malaysia version of the bible, but unless our youth has a strong Islamic foundation, this issue would not bring confusion to the Muslims as they may think the context of 'Allah' used in the Qur’an and the Bible are the same," he said.

The controversy surrounding the use of the word began on Dec 2009, when the High Court ruled that Catholic newspaper The Herald can use the word 'Allah' as it was within anyone’s constitutional right.

This triggered religious tension, which led to the arson attacks against eight Klang Valley churches in January, 2008.

Abdul Hadi, in a subsequent special meeting convened by PAS, agreed that the word 'Allah' could be used by Christians, in accordance with the freedom of religion enshrined in Article 11 of the Federal Constitution.

The issue again reared its head when DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng, in his recent Christmas Day message, urged the Federal government to allow non-Muslims to use the word 'Allah' in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible.

Lim’s statement drew criticism from various quarters such as Umno and independent religious figures. It also incurred the wrath of several leaders within PAS, who disagreed with Lim’s views.

Despite PAS’ Syura Council ruling that non-Muslims cannot use the word in the BM version of the bible, Pakatan’s supreme council have maintained their decision to give the matter the green light. (MD)