Christians can now claim Allah as their own in Malaysia
Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 10:19PM WORLD NEWS: "'Allah' Ruling May Challenge Malaysia," by James Hookway and Celine Fernandez, Wall Street Journal, 2-3 January 2010.
ARTICLE: Churches Attacked Amid Furor in Malaysia, By SETH MYDANS, New York Times, January 10, 2010
ARTICLE: Malaysia: Attacks in 'Allah' Dispute, AP, January 8, 2010
Malaysian High Court ruling says Roman Catholics there can use the word Allah to describe God in the local languages and pubs (i.e., Bibles). The ruling overturned a recent government ban.
A small step toward a freer and more openly competitive religious landscape in Asia, with--as I've noted for years--Malaysia playing a decided "lead goose" role.
Yes, the scary prosecutions will pop up here and there (like a woman getting caned for ordering a beer in a hotel bar), but this is a good sign of progress.
Clearly, the ruling won't be the last word in this highly contentious subject.
Reader Comments (1)
The singular name "Allah" itself, like the related Hebrew "Elohim", stands for "The One God". There is much more continuity than is generally acknowledged between Islam and precursor religions among Arab tribes, including Judaism and Christianity.
Even preislamic polytheist idol-worshippers in the Arabian peninsula had much the same concept and understanding of "Allah", the main difference between them and Muslims is that they believed in a cadre of more approachable intermediate deities acting as mediators. One example were the three female goddesses Al-Lat, Manat and Al-Uzza worshipped by the Quraysh in Mecca until Muhammad's victory. Ironically the Quraysh' edict of ostracism against early Muslims started with same phrase "In the name of Allah" that opens most verses of the Quran.