Welcome to Ketuanan Islam (Supremacy of Islam) in Malaysia

PREAMBLE TO THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION OF MALAYSIA (2013)* There is no God but the God of Islam, and the Court is his Herald. All religions must be subject to the supremacy of Islam. All citizens are equal but Muslims are more equal than others. Cut to the chase, the Court of Appeal judgment released on … Continue reading “Welcome to Ketuanan Islam (Supremacy of Islam) in Malaysia”

PREAMBLE TO THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION OF MALAYSIA (2013)*
There is no God but the God of Islam, and the Court is his Herald.
All religions must be subject to the supremacy of Islam.
All citizens are equal but Muslims are more equal than others.

Cut to the chase, the Court of Appeal judgment released on 14/10/2013(No.W-01-1-2010) which prohibits Christians from using the word Allah is based on the supremacy of Islam in Malaysia. The judges identify “the community” as Muslim and relegate other religious believers to “group”.  Since “group” is inferior and subordinate to the superior “community”, the judges ruled, “the welfare of an individual or group must yield to that of the community.” Continue reading “Welcome to Ketuanan Islam (Supremacy of Islam) in Malaysia”

Pengharaman Penggunaan “Allah”: Perdebatan Teologi dan Hegemoni Ideologi

This paper summarizes the major themes found in a three-part article posted in 2010 – Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Arguments in the Allah Controversy [See links given below]. Pengharaman Penggunaan “Allah”: Perdebatan Teologi dan Hegemoni Ideologi Tujuan makalah ini adalah untuk membantu umat Kristian 1) memahami trajektori sejarah pertikaian tentang perkataan Allah, 2) mengenal pasti … Continue reading “Pengharaman Penggunaan “Allah”: Perdebatan Teologi dan Hegemoni Ideologi”

This paper summarizes the major themes found in a three-part article posted in 2010 – Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Arguments in the Allah Controversy [See links given below].

Pengharaman Penggunaan “Allah”: Perdebatan Teologi dan Hegemoni Ideologi

Tujuan makalah ini adalah untuk membantu umat Kristian 1) memahami trajektori sejarah pertikaian tentang perkataan Allah, 2) mengenal pasti sumber-sumber sejarah, linguistik dan teologi yang menjadi alasan bagi penggunaan sah akan perkataan itu oleh umat Kristian, 3) mematahkan hujah-hujah tidak berasas yang dikemukakan oleh cendekiawan Muslim yang menuntut monopoli Muslim dalam penggunaan perkataan Allah dan 4) memahami bagaimana konsep bahasa suci menyebabkan orang bukan-Muslim tidak dibenarkan daripada menggunakan perkataan Allah. Continue reading “Pengharaman Penggunaan “Allah”: Perdebatan Teologi dan Hegemoni Ideologi”

Allah:The Noun and the Name – The Root of Confusion

Allah – The Noun and the Name The Root of Confusion* Confusion continues to reign over some Malay Muslim scholars, as is evident from their fumbled handling of the semantics of Allah, because there is no definite article in the Malay language. It would be helpful for them to reconsider the significance of definite article … Continue reading “Allah:The Noun and the Name – The Root of Confusion”

Allah – The Noun and the Name

The Root of Confusion*

Confusion continues to reign over some Malay Muslim scholars, as is evident from their fumbled handling of the semantics of Allah, because there is no definite article in the Malay language. It would be helpful for them to reconsider the significance of definite article in the Arabic and other Semitic languages.

Definition of Proper Noun

Confusion begins when we learned in elementary school the traditional definition of a noun: a noun “refers to a person, place, or thing.” But this definition is inadequate as it excludes words like ‘explosion’, ‘moment’, thunder, etc.

Modern linguists therefore define nouns not in semantic (meaning-based) terms but in distributive terms, that is, how they are used in relation to other syntactic categories in the language. The English language has the convenient usage of the determiner ‘the’. Hence, ‘the explosion’, ‘the moment’ and ‘the thunder’ are recognized as nouns. Continue reading “Allah:The Noun and the Name – The Root of Confusion”

Allah dan Tuhan dalam Terjemahan Alkitab

29 Januari 2013 Allah dan Tuhan dalam Terjemahan Alkitab Artikel ini diterjemahkan dari Bahasa Inggeris dari website Krisis & Praxis Mengapa Tidak Mungkin Menggantikan Allah dengan Tuhan dalam Terjemahan Alkitab Orang Muslim di beberapa negara lain di dunia (Arab, Afrika Utara, Pakistan dan Indonesia) tiada bantahan dan tidak bimbang akan kemungkinan keliru apabila orang Kristian … Continue reading “Allah dan Tuhan dalam Terjemahan Alkitab”

29 Januari 2013
Allah dan Tuhan dalam Terjemahan Alkitab

Artikel ini diterjemahkan dari Bahasa Inggeris dari website Krisis & Praxis

Mengapa Tidak Mungkin Menggantikan Allah dengan Tuhan dalam Terjemahan Alkitab

Orang Muslim di beberapa negara lain di dunia (Arab, Afrika Utara, Pakistan dan Indonesia) tiada bantahan dan tidak bimbang akan kemungkinan keliru apabila orang Kristian menggunakan perkataan Allah. Sebaliknya, segolongan orang Muslim Malaysia pula mendakwa mereka keliru; suatu fenomena yang sangat aneh. Pemerhatian ini membuktikan kebenaran kepada andaian bahawa isu Allah ini merupakan isu Melayu buatan dan bukan isu Muslim sebenar. Sebenarnya, bantahan yang dirancang terhadap keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi pada 31 Dec 2009 untuk membenarkan Catholic Herald (dan orang Kristian) menggunakan perkataan Allah harus dilihat sebagai manipulasi sinis oleh ahli-ahli politik Melayu untuk mendapatkan undi daripada masyarakat mereka. Continue reading “Allah dan Tuhan dalam Terjemahan Alkitab”

Collated Resources: Christians from pre-Islam Arab Christians to Bumiputera Christians have the Right to Use Allah

*You may read additional articles grouped under the category Islamization of Malaysian Laws Christians have offered well-documented evidence and cogent arguments to refute the claim that only (Malaysian) Muslims have the right to use the word Allah. However, the dogmatic assertions (notwithstanding the ‘scholarly garb’) from Muslim scholars in the current flare-up suggest that they … Continue reading “Collated Resources: Christians from pre-Islam Arab Christians to Bumiputera Christians have the Right to Use Allah”

*You may read additional articles grouped under the category Islamization of Malaysian Laws

Christians have offered well-documented evidence and cogent arguments to refute the claim that only (Malaysian) Muslims have the right to use the word Allah. However, the dogmatic assertions (notwithstanding the ‘scholarly garb’) from Muslim scholars in the current flare-up suggest that they have either chosen to ignore the evidence or are simple unable to follow an argument outside their logical Procrustean bed. Undoubtedly, their closed mindedness arises because they learned how to use Arabic without reflecting, much less analyzing the linguistic determinants behind Arabic.

I would like to invite readers who are new to the controversy to read some of my early articles given in the list below: Continue reading “Collated Resources: Christians from pre-Islam Arab Christians to Bumiputera Christians have the Right to Use Allah”

Resolving the Allah Controversy: Going Beyond Polemics and Call for Constructive Dialogue

Proposition 1: We respect the right of PAS to spell out clearly its theological position on Allah. Proposition 2: We respect the right of people of different faiths to interpret their holy books and profess their faith in their mother tongues. Proposition 3: We must go beyond polemics in addressing the Allah controversy. Proposition 4: … Continue reading “Resolving the Allah Controversy: Going Beyond Polemics and Call for Constructive Dialogue”

Proposition 1: We respect the right of PAS to spell out clearly its theological position on Allah.

Proposition 2: We respect the right of people of different faiths to interpret their holy books and profess their faith in their mother tongues.

Proposition 3: We must go beyond polemics in addressing the Allah controversy.

Proposition 4: We invite Muslim leaders to engage in constructive dialogue with Christian leaders to resolve the Allah controversy

 

The official statement released by Pas Ulamak Syura Council (USC) LINK on 13/1/2013 has caused confusion and concern. Continue reading “Resolving the Allah Controversy: Going Beyond Polemics and Call for Constructive Dialogue”

‘Allah’ is Substitute for Hebrew Words ēl, ĕlōah, and not for English Word ‘God’

‘Allah’ is Substitute for Hebrew Words ēl, ĕlōah, and not for English Word ‘God’ For news event regarding the Sultan of Selangor’s decree that says non-Muslims must not use the word Allah see my other post at: Religious Liberty Watch, Selangor Sultan Says non-Muslims Must Not use ‘Allah’, Pakatan and Christian Federation of Malaysia Disagree  … Continue reading “‘Allah’ is Substitute for Hebrew Words ēl, ĕlōah, and not for English Word ‘God’”

‘Allah’ is Substitute for Hebrew Words ēl, ĕlōah, and not for English Word ‘God’

For news event regarding the Sultan of Selangor’s decree that says non-Muslims must not use the word Allah see my other post at:

Religious Liberty Watch, Selangor Sultan Says non-Muslims Must Not use ‘Allah’, Pakatan and Christian Federation of Malaysia Disagree  LINK

MAIS secretary Datuk Mohd Misri Idris announced “His majesty the Selangor Sultan has made a decision and decreed that the word ‘Allah’ is a sacred word specific to Muslims and is strictly forbidden to use by any non-Muslim religion in Selangor as stated in a fatwa and gazetted on 18 February 2010.”

 

The ban is unprecedented and it is questionable whether a fatwa can be applied to non-Muslims. In any case, as a non-Muslim, my profession of faith cannot be determined by any human authority (whether the government or the Sultan). It is ultimately between me and my God. Continue reading “‘Allah’ is Substitute for Hebrew Words ēl, ĕlōah, and not for English Word ‘God’”

Quest for Covenant Community & Pluralist Democracy in an Islamic Context

RELIGIOUS DIALOG AND DEMOCRATIC DELIBERATION  Dialog does not take place in a vacuum. Recognition of contextual pressures and normative ideals Excerpt: J. C Murray once noted that what distinguishes civil society from a mass or a herd is its ability to engage in ongoing rational deliberative dialogue. Taking a quote from Thomas Gilby he wrote, … Continue reading “Quest for Covenant Community & Pluralist Democracy in an Islamic Context”

RELIGIOUS DIALOG AND DEMOCRATIC DELIBERATION

 Dialog does not take place in a vacuum. Recognition of contextual pressures and normative ideals

Excerpt:

J. C Murray once noted that what distinguishes civil society from a mass or a herd is its ability to engage in ongoing rational deliberative dialogue. Taking a quote from Thomas Gilby he wrote, “Civilization is formed by men locked together in argument.” Conversely, without dialog, civility – and with it civil society – dies. The reason is that without a public consensus that is forged through public deliberation, there is no bond of solidarity to command allegiance to common values that hold civil society together.

Continue reading “Quest for Covenant Community & Pluralist Democracy in an Islamic Context”

Speech Act Revelation: Bible and Quran

Speech Act Revelation: Bible and Quran Thesis – By definition, an agreement involves at least two parties. It would be a very odd covenant in which one party knows what the other party desires, but does not know who the other party really is. Just imagine entering a covenant with someone via faxed messages or … Continue reading “Speech Act Revelation: Bible and Quran”

Speech Act Revelation: Bible and Quran

Thesis – By definition, an agreement involves at least two parties. It would be a very odd covenant in which one party knows what the other party desires, but does not know who the other party really is. Just imagine entering a covenant with someone via faxed messages or the Internet…Put in religious language, divine revelation is deficient if it is only given as a textual message. Continue reading “Speech Act Revelation: Bible and Quran”

Persecution and Destruction of Eastern Christianity Under Islam

  The Glory of Eastern Christianity The story of the triumph of the early church over the Roman Empire continues to inspire Christians today. How can we not marvel at the courage of the martyrs who calmly faced the lions? The religion of the weak and poor literally conquered the empire – symbolized by the … Continue reading “Persecution and Destruction of Eastern Christianity Under Islam”

 

The Glory of Eastern Christianity
The story of the triumph of the early church over the Roman Empire continues to inspire Christians today. How can we not marvel at the courage of the martyrs who calmly faced the lions? The religion of the weak and poor literally conquered the empire – symbolized by the conversion of none other than Emperor Constantine himself.  Surely Tertullian was right when he declared that the martyrs’ blood is the seed of the church. Continue reading “Persecution and Destruction of Eastern Christianity Under Islam”