THE attacks on Malaysian churches were a shocking way to start 2010. The unprecedented violence made headlines internationally as the foreign media pulled apart Malaysia’s carefully constructed image as a moderate Muslim nation. Following the attacks, there have been calls for Christians to drop their claim to refer to God as “Allah” for the sake […]
High Court decision
PMs assured Christians of use of “Allah”
By Ding Jo-AnnPETALING JAYA, 13 Jan 2010: Even though the government banned the use of “Allah” by non-Muslims in 1986, the churches refrained from court action for more than 20 years because of assurances from two prime ministers. ShastriCouncil of Churches of Malaysia general secretary Rev Dr Hermen Shastri told The Nut Graph that Christian leaders were […]
“Allah” can be discussed calmly
By Ding Jo-Ann(Corrected at 4:38pm, 12 Jan 2010) KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Jan 2010: Malaysians are mature enough to openly discuss issues without resorting to violence, said the organiser of an 11 Jan 2010 public forum on the “Allah” issue. Despite being told by police to cancel last night’s forum following the spate of attacks on churches, the […]
“Allah” issue: Who started it?
By Jacqueline Ann SurinLEST we forget, the source of the Allah controversy that resulted in churches, and a Catholic school, being torched and threatened did not begin on the streets. It did not begin with narrow-minded and ignorant Muslim pressure groups threatening to spill blood to assert their sole right to use “Allah”. Lest we forget, it began […]
Protests can’t be stopped?
By Ding Jo-Ann“We cannot stop them if they want to congregate in mosques.” PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, saying the government could not stop people from protesting the 31 Dec 2009 High Court decision that lifted the ban on Catholic paper Herald from using “Allah” to refer to God. (Source: Najib: We can’t stop people from […]
“Qur’an: Muslims and Christians worship same God”
By Ding Jo-Ann(Pic by Lorna / Dreamstime) PETALING JAYA, 6 Jan 2010: An American-based Islamic society has commended the 31 Dec 2009 High Court judgement that lifted the ban on the use of “Allah” by Catholic paper Herald. The Islamic Society of North America (Isna) said the Qur’an was explicit that Muslims worshipped the same God as […]
Responding to “Allah” differently
By Ding Jo-Ann(Pic by Adrian Van Leen / sxc.hu) PREDICTABLE. This best sums up the reactions by some Muslim groups and the government to the High Court’s 31 Dec 2009 decision to lift the ban on the use of “Allah” by Catholic paper Herald. Malaysians were probably able to anticipate the newspaper headlines and ensuing comments, given […]
