KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 ─ Former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Khir Toyo wants legislation to stop non-Muslims from using the word “Allah”. Alternatively, he wants the King and the Conference of Rulers to step in and make clear their objection over the use of “Allah”, a word which is used in worship by Christians and Sikhs.
His controversial proposal comes a few days after the newspaper of the Catholic Church won round one in its fight against a government ban on Christians using the word "Allah" as a synonym for "God".
The Herald is seeking to reverse a government order that prohibits the paper from using the word "Allah" as a synonym for God in its Malay-language section. The government says the word refers only to the Muslim God, and its use by Christians might confuse Muslims. It has threatened to revoke the paper's publishing licence if it defies the order.
The Herald also wants a court declaration that "Allah" is not for exclusive use by Muslims.
Khir Toyo said: “After allowing the Bible to be printed in Malay, is the government going to compromise on this issue? Will Muslim MPs, Umno leaders and leaders of Malay NGOs allow this to happen without doing anything?
“Let’s not confuse the words ‘Illah’ and ‘Allah’. If they want to use an Arabic word for Tuhan then use ‘Illah’. Islam does not recognise other religions as true religions. We as Muslims must reject pluralism or equality among religions.”
He noted that the use of the word “Allah” in other religious texts had already been rejected by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in 1986. At that time, the Home Affairs Ministry ruled that “Allah”, “Kaabah”, “Solat” and “Baitullah” could not be used by other religions. This same policy was maintained by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi a few years ago, he said.
“But now there appears to be a new thinking among some leaders to allow the use of this word.
“Why are Christian missionaries pushing for the use of the word Allah? As a Muslim, I think there is a move to confuse younger Malays.
“What will happen when our young find Christian pamphlets in Malay with the word Allah to describe their God? Isn’t this a subtle way to go against the Constitution which prohibits the teaching of other religions to Muslims?” he said in his blog.
He urged the King and the Malay Rulers to step in and stop any attempt to challenge the position of Islam.
“Also, are there any brave Muslim MPs who will propose legislation to limit the use of the word ‘Allah’ for only Muslims. If this law is passed, it cannot be challenged in court,” he said, referring to the action by the Catholic Church.
It remains to be seen if Khir Toyo’s proposal will have any takers. But this is election season in Malaysia again and be prepared for candidates to sound more controversial, confrontational and extreme.
With no political position in the party or government and with an eye on resurrecting his flagging political fortunes, Khir Toyo knows that he has to stand out from the crowd and champion issues close to the Malays with more fervour than others. He also senses an undercurrent of unease in the Malay ground over the growing demands by non-Malays since Election 2008.
He has offered to contest the Umno Youth chief’s position at the party polls in December.
1 comment:
Dear Khir Toyo,
If there are certain words reserved for specific groups of people, then I should ask beforehand. So, can the words "farq" be used to refer to your goodself?
Post a Comment