Argument on 'Allah' Name in Malaysia- Church burnt - Page 4

Jan 8, 2010

M'sian churches attacked

The ground floor of the three-storey Metro Tabernacle church, part of the Assemblies of God movement, was badly burnt. -- PHOTO: AFP

KUALA LUMPUR - THREE Malaysian churches have been attacked, leaving one badly damaged, in an escalating dispute over the use of the word 'Allah' by non-Muslims.

As Muslim groups prepared to hold protests on Friday, police stepped up security around churches nationwide after one in suburban Kuala Lumpur was fire-bombed in a midnight attack that gutted its ground floor and another had its grounds set ablaze.

The ground floor of the three-storey Metro Tabernacle church, part of the Assemblies of God movement, was badly burnt. Firebombs were later tossed into the compound of at least two more churches - the Assumption Catholic Church and the Life Chapel Protestant church - in the leafy outlying district of Petaling Jaya, but both failed to explode.

'We are investigating the matter thoroughly and those responsible will be brought to book,' police chief Musa Hassan told reporters. 'Police will deploy patrol cars to patrol churches in the country. We will investigate the matter thoroughly.'

A fire department official said all stations were on alert for more blazes at religious buildings, amid conflict over the use of 'Allah' as a translation for 'God' by Christians.

The High Court last week ruled in favour of the Catholic 'Herald' newspaper which has used 'Allah' as a translation for 'God' in its Malay-language section. The government has said the word should be used only by Muslims.

The ruling was suspended on Wednesday pending an appeal, after the government argued the decision could cause racial conflict in Malaysia. -- AFP, REUTERS

Jan 11, 2010

M'sia defends 'Allah' stand

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA on Monday defended its refusal to allow non-Muslims to use the word 'Allah', as a dispute over the issue saw a ninth church attacked in a spate of fire-bombings and vandalism.

The Sidang Injil Borneo Church in the central state of Negri Sembilan was the latest to be targeted amid anger over a court decision to overrule a government ban on Malaysia's minorities using 'Allah' as a translation for 'God'.

The church attacks which erupted last Friday have sent tensions soaring in the multicultural nation, where the Muslim Malay majority lives alongside ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.

Home Ministry secretary-general Mahmood Adam, who briefed foreign diplomats on the crisis on Monday, said they had asked why the term was off-limits when it is widely used by Christians in Indonesia and the Middle East. 'They don't understand the situation here, they just want to know why it can be allowed in other countries and not here,' he told reporters. 'Be fair, you have to compare apples to apples, oranges to oranges. Our landscape is different from other countries. Malays here are different from (Muslims in) other countries. The landscape here is different from Indonesia so we can't compare.'

The row flared after the High Court on Dec 31 ruled in favour of the Catholic newspaper The Herald, which argued for the right to use 'Allah' in its Malay-language section. Malaysia's Christians say they have used the word without incident for centuries, but the ruling party - which is vying for popularity among Muslims with the opposition Islamic party - insists it must be used only by Muslims. It argues that the use of 'Allah' by Christians could cause confusion among Muslims and encourage religious conversion, which is illegal in Malaysia.

The ruling in the Catholic newspaper's favour was suspended last week pending an appeal, after the government argued the decision could cause racial conflict

Jan 12, 2010

'Allah' CD seizure disputed

The Malaysian national flag flies at a Catholic church in down town Kuala Lumpur. A Malaysian Christian is seeking a court order to return eight discs seized when she returned from Indonesia in May 2008. -- PHOTO: AFP

KUALA LUMPUR - A MALAYSIAN Christian is challenging the seizure of religious CDs with the word 'Allah' printed on them, in the latest twist of an escalating dispute over use of the word, her lawyer said on Tuesday.

Jill Ireland, of the indigenous Melanau tribe from Sarawak state on Borneo island, is seeking a court order to return eight discs seized when she returned from Indonesia in May 2008, her lawyer Annou Xavier said.

The legal action comes amid a spate of fire-bombings against churches across the nation, triggered by the High Court's Dec 31 decision to lift a government ban on non-Muslims using 'Allah' as a translation for 'God'.

The ruling in favour of Catholic newspaper The Herald, which argued for the right to use 'Allah' in its Malay-language section, was suspended last week pending an appeal, after the government argued the decision could cause racial conflict.

'Ireland is seeking the return of her discs and a declaration that she can use the word 'Allah' and to own, use and import materials with the word 'Allah' in exercising her religious freedom,' Mr Xavier told reporters. 'Christians in Sabah and Sarawak have been using the word 'Allah' for centuries.'

Ireland is a member of the Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) Church. One of its churches in central Negri Sembilan state was targeted on Monday, in an attack that left its door charred. -- AFP