The Malaysian government does not think too highly of its citizens.
I know that because there is now a ban on Christian publications that use the word “Allah” in reference to God, even though “Allah” is the standard word for God in Arabic and is used by Christians, Jews, and Muslims.
Why would they do such a thing? According to an unnamed official, because it might confuse Muslims.
This horrendous crime of confusion was banned before, but the ban was accidently removed by the government. It has now been restored — showing that someone indeed is confused, though probably not who the government thinks.
(via)
Awhile back, they also thought that practising yoga will “weaken their faith”.
Funny. In some weird tragic way.
With ideas like this, I’m surprised the government can function at all.
I seem to recall that there has been an influx of Saudi Wahhabi money into Malaysia to support the Islamic supremacist ideology that has been infiltrating over the past few decades. Not using the word Allah is pretty innocuous. Citizens are required to have identity cards that show your religion and Muslims get legal perks of sorts in the country. Children will default go to the Muslim parent if one is non-Muslim.
Thank allah our government is apathetic enough about religion to not restrict our freedom like that. Whenever a wave of religious fervor sweeps our country, it always makes me more than a little nervous. I’ve always considered myself supremely lucky to live in a non-muslim country, because in the muslim world, religious fervor tends to translate to violence.
On the flip side, which I am sure many of you are aware of with your religious background, there is a big debate among Western Christians on whether a Christian should use the name Allah to refer to God, whether a Christian could worship their God in a Muslim Mosque, etc. I know many of this blog would not see a big deal with this and even challenge using Zeus or Thor for God, but this is a major debate with some Christians.
Here’s my question. I know many of you have extensive Bible backgrounds and extensive knowledge of the Bible. From what you have studied in the Bible, would you see a problem for a Christian using Allah for God? This is not a ploy to get you to admit to the possibility of a God or anything like that, I just simply want to know your thoughts from your reading of the bible.
The major sticking point for me, regarding the whole “Name of God” business, is this:
God, Yahweh, Allah, Jehovah, etc. *IS NOT* the name of god.
According to the bible, these are words humans ARE allowed to use, because the name of god is somehow sacred, or possibly unknowable. (or you can refer to the passage where it says “the Lord, whose name IS jealous, is a jealous god.”)
So, call your god whatever you like. This is just another case of a theocratic gov’t flexing its muscle.
-Shrubber
ITA Shubber that Allah is just a title so a Christian could, in good conscience, use the word.
It would only get questionable IMO in intermingling religious *practices*, like worshipping at a mosque. I could see a Christian adopting Muslim practices because Islam teaches it, not because Christianity teaches it. Then you could dilute what it means to be Christian.
Oh, and I completely agree with reckoner that the Quran is pretty much the OT (which is why they still, like, actually stone people to death). There is speculation that Muhammed actually wanted to teach an offshoot of Judaism but Jews rejected him and thus he created Islam.
What did you expect when my damned nation has “Believe in God” as the main and most important principle of being a part of it?
Seriously. When I was in secondary school I put this question up to my Malay Language teacher, whether we are still Malaysians when we do not believe in god. Her answer? “No. It’s against the principle of being Malaysian.”
That’s one of the many hidden idiocies you can find in Malaysia with regards to religion. Amongst them the oxymoron “Islamic Secular Nation” as well as the existance of Christianity in our community as a whole. Yau-Man-Chan describes this phenomenon in skepticblog.com quite well.
Just a couple days ago I posted about this. Rynoos and Shrubber: I think the reason that theocratic governments take any interest in this question is that when you start to think about the *effect* of the name of God, the whole question becomes rather silly. Ask someone if you do a find and replace of their liturgy of choice with Christ/Allah/Zeus/Quetzalcoatl (but change NOTHING ELSE), what would the effect be on a church founded with the 2009 Quetzalcoatl Edition of the Bible/Qu’ran/etc.? If any, why? With real, concrete objects, who CARES if I call it bread and you call it khoobz, it’s the same damn thing! Unless the thing in question is all vapor, and the main function of the name is as an association with other ideas and as an in-group signifier – then it becomes very important.
http://luckyatheist.blogspot.com/2009/03/nine-billion-names-of-god.html
It’s the usual thing – control of the masses by the priesthood, any priesthood. They found that because the people feared death, the priesthood guaranteed the people eternal bliss if they followed what the priesthood told them. thus the priesthood gained power over the people, and they still wish to hold on to it today. This still holds true – just read some of the pronouncements by Islamic clerics and/or the Pope.
I have read the Qur’an several times, translated, as well as it can be translated, by the best Arabic-speaking scholars.
It’s the Old Testament.
Other than mentioning the virgin birth, and Jesus as one of God’s prophets, and a few other poetic licence ideas, it’s pretty much the OT.
It also insists, over and over again, that Jews, Christians and Muslims are all worshipping the same god – the God of Abraham, and that they are “People of the Book” and are not infidels.
I think, Rynoos, that problem springs from common practice and identity. “Allah” is an Arabic word for “God” and the Qur’an, and the Muslim faith, is only supposed to be read/observed in Arabic. Religion relies on strong identity, and usually prays (pun intended) on the less educated, so I could see where religious leaders would not want uneducated masses confusing the two.
Christianity and Islam, that is.
I tend to think that if there were a God worth praying to, He wouldn’t much care what names the humans give Him or what building they do the praying in.
Dear Rynoos;
The Word Allah is no different from says God in English, or Eloheem in Hebrew! The reason is, I have read the Qur’an, and just before I was able to get into it; a minister friend gave me a book to review, and give him my opinion. It had the word Eloheem in it used in the singular sense, but it really has a plural meaning. And when I read the Qur’an later, I noticed that Allah sometimes spoke as “We” And He told them to get with the Jews (or, the people of the Book) and the Christians, who keep the Law! They can be trusted, eventhough some of them cannot be! This is supported by the Apostle Paul in Gal:4:25; Which things are an allegory (or, Spiritual Teaching): So these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which genderes to bondage (idolatry and the sinful live of the time), which is Agar. And this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and who will answer unto Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage (John:8:31-36) with her children. And when the Apostles went out after Yehoshua training them; they taught the Law to Jews and Gentiles alike in obeydience unto Matt:16:16-20; 15-20; and based upon John:14:21-16; the Holy-Spirit or Eloheem would remind them to do what He said, while He was with them in His robe of flesh!
The Qur’an just-like the Bible and the Torah, teaches that sinfree living is the only way to heaven; and that minus a few errors in the Qur’an makes it ok for the well informed to say Allah or Eloheem without fear of contradiction! That’s why we have these books, so that we can see the ruth for ourselves! So stand up for the written Truth, or burn because ot the spirit of error (or, man’s doctirnes)!
The Malaysian government official, because of his lack of knowledge, and listening to the false Bible Teachers who teach that the Qur’an is from the devil, and they teach against obeying Yehoshua in Matt:5:17-19, 27-30,48; which really makes them ant-Christ, just like the Jews were ant-Eloheem when He came as Yehoshua to redeem who ever would live according unto every Word that He Spoke; based upon John:8:31-36, 51; they say that we must obey Eloheem (or, God) but ignore John:1:1-14; matt:4:4; 5:18, 18, 27-30, 48; who teach just-like the people the Apostle Paul taught Timothy against supporting in 1Tim:6:3-6; and here is what Paul taught the Corinthians about the Law: 1Corin:7:19; 11:1, 2(ordanances/Commandments); Philip:3:6, 14-16(Rules/Commandments); and Roms:2:12, 13, 16, 25-27; as a threat against the Jews who used physical circumcision and the letter (scripture) in the Law to break the Law! And Roms:8:1, 2, 4; says if we follow the Holy-Spirit’s Leadership, we will do the will of Eloheem, or live by every Word which proceeds from His mouth; because He as the Holy-Spirit would be leading and nurchuring you into Spiritual Perfection based upon His requirements! In the Spirit of Job:1:1-8; 23:10-12; Numb:23:19-23 (iniquity/sin; perversness/unaccountable); Luke:1:5, 6. So, they are no better than the Muslims, and the Catholic church is no better! See “Laying to rest The Misrepresentation of The Apostle Paul, Concerning The Law” at freewebs.com/califsoul, it shows Prophecy and a little historical info about the Catholic church and the Bible; which shows why the Apostle Paul’s Work has confict in the book of Romans and Galatians; and it shows a scriptural harmonious resulution.
Exactly — in theory, there shouldn’t be a problem between Christians and Jews and Muslims, because they all worship the same God and use the same text (well, 1/2 of the Christian Bible) and follow many of the same rules, albeit in differing levels of intensity.
I love the phrase ‘People of the Book’, by the way.
That’s how it is translated in the three Qur’ans I have… it’s a cute phrase.
There are no rules saying that government needs ideas, logic, or common sense to function. In fact, history indicates that such qualities are rather rare in governing bodies.
You want to see the “National Principles”?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rukun_Negara
WHEREAS OUR COUNTRY MALAYSIA nurtures the ambitions of:
-achieving a more perfect unity amongst the whole of her society;
-preserving a democratic way of life;
-creating a just society where the prosperity of the country can be enjoyed together in a fair and equitable manner;
-guaranteeing a liberal approach towards her rich and varied cultural traditions; and
-building a progressive society that will make use of science and modern technology.
NOW THEREFORE WE, the people of Malaysia, pledge to concentrate the whole of our energy and efforts to achieve these ambitions based on the following principles:
-BELIEF IN GOD
-LOYALTY TO KING AND COUNTRY
-THE SUPREMACY OF THE CONSTITUTION
-THE RULE OF LAW
-COURTESY AND MORALITY
I don’t think you don’t need someone like Teleprompter (though I’d love to, I never tire from reading anything he has to say ^_^) to see the problem here…
I think God’s real name is Dweezil, but He’s just too embarrassed to admit it.
I’m still trying to figure out if atheism is in fact illegal in Malaysia. So far nobody seems to be able to tell me. The National Principles are the foundation for Malaysia’s law so technically at the very least one is firmly deemed “unpatriotic”.
As for the matter if one is breaking the law or not, it didn’t seem to matter from my findings. There was one forum I looked into for Malaysian atheist and some of them mentioned that they registered themselves on their ID forms as “atheist” (yeah, there is a part to fill in religion). Those people are still fine and nobody seem to care.
I still don’t know if it is illegal or not. If anyone knows, please inform me.
Gotta do that “Atheist” thing in my IC when I renew it then. I’m about 2 years late for renewal.
I’m pretty sure they can’t persecute Atheists, the secular thing and all, but it should mean that it’s legally viable and justifiable for people to prejudice against Atheists. Just like the quote “One Nation Under God” on American currency.
Actually that’s “In God We Trust”. It originally stated “E pluribus unum” (Out of Many, One).
It makes you wonder, maybe they’re not so confident about their beliefs after all? As soon as somebody starts to practice yoga, poof! his faith is gone, they seem to think.
Good point, but I’m not sure I agree. Words have power, impact, effect. The form of a word we use changes its effect and lets us know a great deal about the speaker.
Consider the “Tyson Homosexual” headline. Why do fundagelicals shy away from the word “gay”? Because in their minds, accepting the language teh gay use of themselves is akin to accepting them.
To replace the word “God” in the Christian Bible with “Allah” changes the associations of the word. And I suspect that many believers would find those associations unpalatable.
Even though, y’know, they’re all worshipping the same dude, apparently.