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Allah is just a word in the Semitic languages to refer to the English word God. Languages like Malay borrow this loan word from Arabic. Thus, whether it is in the Malay language Qur'an or the Malay language Bible, or Alkitab as it is known, the word for God is Allah.

But it is more than just a word. The government and the religious establishment are perceived by non-Muslims, especially Christians, as taking all available means to stop them from using this word. This makes Malaysia the only Muslim-majority country to make it an offence for non-Muslims to use the Allah word as well as a slew of other common Arabic words like doa (pray), iman (faith), and nabi (prophet).

'Allah' is a shared word among People of the Book, a centuries-old common heritage. Only in Malaysia do we refuse to understand this.

But, as the Kuala Lumpur High Court judgement on The Herald Case pointed out, the battle over the Allah word is not about Islam as the religion of the Federation or the Sultans' authority over it but whether the government can lawfully prohibit non-Muslims from using the Allah word.

Writing on his blog following the Herald judgement and subsequent fire-bombing of churches, Dr Mahathir Mohamad said:

This controversy actually began when I was Prime Minister. The Cabinet at the time held the opinion that its use in the Bible is a sensitive matter. Sensitive matters such as this cannot be resolved by simply referring to the law.

According to the Herald judgement, A mere statement by the Home Minister that the exercise of power was necessary on the ground of national security without adequate supporting evidence is not sufficient in law.

Mahathir also sees a hidden Christian agenda for wanting to use the Allah word.

Perhaps the word 'Allah' is to equate Christianity with Islam so it is the worship of the same God. With this, acceptance of Christianity by Muslims can be so much easier. This translation is incorrect. In fact, the word 'Tuhan' should be used for God.

Like Mahathir, others have also suggested that Christians should use Tuhan to refer to God. However, this is flawed advice. The Bible often refers to God, especially in the Old Testament as the LORD God. In other words, this would have to be translated as Tuhan Tuhan. Not only will this sound silly, it is also bad grammar.

Read the original:
The 'Allah' case at a glance - Part 2