COMMENT: Recently, the sultan of Selangor explained why copies of the Alkitab were stamped in red ink to prevent entry into the state of Selangor.At the same time, Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng said that the name ‘Allah’ can be used by non-Muslims in the state of Penang.We have arrived at a situation where the state determines what is right and wrong on how we should address the Almighty.This is, despite the National Principle, which places Faith in God as the Number One principle. In other words, God is Supreme, and we are all His subjects. My religion, which is a private and personal matter, has become a state matter and control measures, rather than freedom to exercise my faith in the manner I see fit, have set in.
Not surprisingly, we can trace its roots to the early days when Dr Mahathir Mohamad came to power, especially during times when his leadership was being questioned. Dr Mahathir is a skillful master at using race and religion, and he, too, was able to curtail the powers and privileges of the royalty.
Think back
I have politely asked a number of my Muslim friends to show me a passage of the Quran which says that Allah’s name is exclusively for Muslims, but till today, no one has ever been able to show me a passage of the Quran that prohibits the non-Muslims from addressing God as ‘Allah’ in Bahasa Malaysia.
In fact, a well-known American Muslim theologian, Reza Aslan, had said on BFM Radio’s Evening Edition programme, when being asked to comment on the Court of Appeal ruling on the use of the word ‘Allah’: “This notion that Malaysian Muslims need to be protected by the court because you can’t think for yourself, you can’t make decisions on your own, we are laughing at you.
“That you can control people’s ideas, their behaviour, their faith and their minds simply by trying to control the words that they use, is absurd. It is an embarrassment to a modern, constitutional, democratic and deeply Muslim state like Malaysia.”
Reza had of course said that the ban on non-Muslims from using the name of ‘Allah’ is a “political decision more than anything else”.
The international community is watching us. On one hand, the Christian community is praying for us, while the international Muslim community is wondering why such a big fuss in Malaysia over whose right it is to call God by a certain name.
Had God wanted to defend His name, He would have copyrighted His name and used it only for a certain group of people.
A lot of the arguments used to defend the exclusivity of the name for Muslims only are unfortunately flawed. A good example is that, when the name appears in the Malay version of the Bible, it will weaken the aqidah of the Muslims.
But, during the raid by the Selangor Islamic enforcement department (Jais), copies of Bup Kudus (Iban Bibles) were also confiscated. Tell me, how many of us can even understand or read the Iban language? And are there no Sarawakians in the State of Selangor?
Respected, not defended
I shall not comment on Islam or other religions. But, I shall say that, as a Christian, I do not need to defend God. Neither do I need to condemn other religions in order to uplift my God.
God is capable of defending Himself. However, in whatever we do as Christians, the church is duty-bound to uplift the name of our God and build a good reputation so that everyone will someday learn to respect and give glory to God.
We are exhorted to be living testimonies of a loving God. For this reason, the church in Malaysia are involved in all sorts of charitable work out of compassion for the underprivileged people.
Some of our churches operate homes and centres for orphans, the elderly folks, the abused women, former drug addicts, disabled people, street feeding, emergency relief work, and other empowerment programmes.
Not to mention, through the years, Red Cross was set up by Christian volunteers to respond to wounded soldiers in warzones, and modern hospitals have evolved from the earliest monastery-based centres caring for the sick and injured, which is again traced to the parable of the Good Samaritans.
A group of us recently went into the interior of Sarawak, months after we heard that the longhouse was burnt down in May. Because their livelihood depended on the longhouse, and till now, nothing has been done, we raised funds for them. We spoke words of hope to lift them out of a state of despair.
When Aceh was hit by the tsunami, a number of Christian relief organisations poured money to help rebuild the town. Christian volunteers went into Aceh and were involved in various kinds of relief work.
There is really no need to defend Christianity, especially when the right things are being done. It is only when some of us behave like ‘rascals’ that we become an embarrassment to the name of God.
God does not need rascals to defend His name. He can do it on His own, yet I do not understand why religion has become such a state matter these days.
STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.
