Why Defacement of the Alkitab is Desecration

Click on the following link to read my post giving reasons why the defacement of the Alkitab (Holy Bible) by government officials is an act of desecration. http://libertysentinel.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/why-defacement-of-the-alkitab-is-desecration/ “Desecration” is not a word we simply throw around. As such, when Christians protest to the government that it has desecrated the Alkitab (Malay Bible) it is … Continue reading “Why Defacement of the Alkitab is Desecration”

Click on the following link to read my post giving reasons why the defacement of the Alkitab (Holy Bible) by government officials is an act of desecration.
http://libertysentinel.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/why-defacement-of-the-alkitab-is-desecration/

“Desecration” is not a word we simply throw around. As such, when Christians protest to the government that it has desecrated the Alkitab (Malay Bible) it is incumbent on Christians to give reasons to support the claim for such a serious crime. Failure to do so will only reflect badly on the Christians themselves.

I invite you therefore to read my post which gives a careful analysis and arguments to support the charge that the Malaysian government committed desecration when its officials defaced the Alkitab.

Malay Bibles Desecrated by Malaysian Authorities

“Oh No! They killed our loved ones even though we paid the ransom.” This is the worst nightmare experienced by people who paid ransom to kidnappers  only to find their loved ones returned to them executed. “Oh No! They desecrated our beloved Holy Bibles.” This is the heart wrenching experience of Malaysian Christians who found … Continue reading “Malay Bibles Desecrated by Malaysian Authorities”

“Oh No! They killed our loved ones even though we paid the ransom.”

This is the worst nightmare experienced by people who paid ransom to kidnappers  only to find their loved ones returned to them executed.

“Oh No! They desecrated our beloved Holy Bibles.”

This is the heart wrenching experience of Malaysian Christians who found their Holy Bibles returned to them defaced and desecrated. READ MORE

Top Court Throws Out Hindu Mother’s Conversion Challenge

Top Court Throws Out Hindu Mother’s Conversion Challenge Malaysia’s highest court (the Federal Court) abdicated its duty to exercise sound and courageous moral judgment when it relied on technicality and rejected an application by a Hindu mother (Shamala) to the Court to rule against her husband’s unilateral conversion of her children to Islam. LINK

Top Court Throws Out Hindu Mother’s Conversion Challenge

Malaysia’s highest court (the Federal Court) abdicated its duty to exercise sound and courageous moral judgment when it relied on technicality and rejected an application by a Hindu mother (Shamala) to the Court to rule against her husband’s unilateral conversion of her children to Islam. LINK

Kitab Salat as-Sawai (1514) was the First Printed Arabic (Not Jawi Malay) Book

Kitab Salat as-Sawai (1514) was the First Printed Arabic  (Not Jawi Malay) Book The Error In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned that the earliest Malay printed prayer book was the Kitab Salat as-Sawai which was printed in 1514. I was wrong. Why?

Kitab Salat as-Sawai (1514) was the First Printed Arabic  (Not Jawi Malay) Book

The Error
In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned that the earliest Malay printed prayer book was the Kitab Salat as-Sawai which was printed in 1514. I was wrong. Why? Continue reading “Kitab Salat as-Sawai (1514) was the First Printed Arabic (Not Jawi Malay) Book”

Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Arguments in the Allah Controversy. Part 3/3

Refutation of Muslim Scholars’Arguments in the Allah Controversy. Part 3/3 Translation Issues To buttress their case, Mohd Sani and Mohd Aizam provide several examples which allege that Christians are inconsistent in their usage of the word Allâh and this results in confusion for both Christians and Muslims. However, their claim of inconsistency shows little understanding … Continue reading “Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Arguments in the Allah Controversy. Part 3/3”

Refutation of Muslim Scholars’Arguments in the Allah Controversy. Part 3/3

Translation Issues
To buttress their case, Mohd Sani and Mohd Aizam provide several examples which allege that Christians are inconsistent in their usage of the word Allâh and this results in confusion for both Christians and Muslims. However, their claim of inconsistency shows little understanding of the translation skills required in the translation enterprise that demands the ability to make distinctions when a particular word assumes different shades of meanings (semantic range) in different contexs. This is especially true of Semitic words. For example, the Hebrew word, ruach, can take the following meanings, depending on the context: wind, breath, vital powers, feelings or will. That Mohd Sani seems unaware of these dynamics of translation will be evident when we discuss the translation of élöhîm in Old Testament. Continue reading “Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Arguments in the Allah Controversy. Part 3/3”

Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Argument in the Allâh Controversy. Part 2/3

Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Arguments in the Allah Controversy. Part 2/3 Allâh is Certainly Not a Proper Noun/Personal Name Introduction: Allâh and Other Loan Words in the Quran for God The fundamental and contested presupposition in the present dispute on the use of Allâh is whether there are words so exclusively defined by a single … Continue reading “Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Argument in the Allâh Controversy. Part 2/3”

Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Arguments in the Allah Controversy. Part 2/3

Allâh is Certainly Not a Proper Noun/Personal Name

Introduction: Allâh and Other Loan Words in the Quran for God
The fundamental and contested presupposition in the present dispute on the use of Allâh is whether there are words so exclusively defined by a single linguistic system that their usage is reserved for that linguistic system alone. In this regard, scholars like Dr. Mohd Sani Badron, Prof Khadijah Mohd Hambali and Mohd Aizam operate on the assumption that Quranic Arabic and subsequently, Bahasa Malaysia have sole proprietorship over certain words (especially the word Allâh)  since these words been ‘purified’ (Islamicised) for the purpose conveying Islamic truths. As such, they call for Christians to be banned from using the word Allâh as improper usage of the word by Christians will lead to corruption of revealed truth. Continue reading “Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Argument in the Allâh Controversy. Part 2/3”

Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Arguments in the Allah Controversy. Part 1/3

Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Arguments in the Allah Controversy. Part 1/3 (Part One of Three Parts) The Court of Appeal may appear tardy in taking up its review of the High Court decision that ruled in favour of the Catholic Herald (and Christians) concerning the right to use the word Allah. However, the government has … Continue reading “Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Arguments in the Allah Controversy. Part 1/3”

Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Arguments in the Allah Controversy.

Part 1/3 (Part One of Three Parts)

The Court of Appeal may appear tardy in taking up its review of the High Court decision that ruled in favour of the Catholic Herald (and Christians) concerning the right to use the word Allah. However, the government has been actively mobilizing its scholars to disseminate arguments to buttress its position of banning Christians from using the word Allah. Presumably, their arguments will influence judges to favor the government in future hearings in the Courts . Continue reading “Refutation of Muslim Scholars’ Arguments in the Allah Controversy. Part 1/3”

Allah or Tuhan in the Rukun Negara?

Allah or Tuhan in the Rukun Negara? – A Separate Issue from Allah in the Alkitab Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang was reported by Bernama (22 March, 2010) to have called on the government during a debate in the Dewan Rakyat, to amend the first Rukun Negara from belief in God to belief … Continue reading “Allah or Tuhan in the Rukun Negara?”

Allah or Tuhan in the Rukun Negara? – A Separate Issue from Allah in the Alkitab

Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang was reported by Bernama (22 March, 2010) to have called on the government during a debate in the Dewan Rakyat, to amend the first Rukun Negara from belief in God to belief in Allah since the Quran did not bar followers of other religions from using the word Allah. LINK Continue reading “Allah or Tuhan in the Rukun Negara?”

Allah Word: The Bare Historical Facts Presented

Allah Word: Facts and Time-line “Why do you want to fight the Malaysian government over the use of the word Allah?” This question crops up now and then in our discussion groups. The inquirer may be well intentioned, but he is obviously ill-informed. The best answer to this question is to present the facts of … Continue reading “Allah Word: The Bare Historical Facts Presented”

Allah Word: Facts and Time-line

“Why do you want to fight the Malaysian government over the use of the word Allah?” This question crops up now and then in our discussion groups.

The inquirer may be well intentioned, but he is obviously ill-informed. The best answer to this question is to present the facts of history which show clearly that it is not the Malaysian Church that wants to fight the government; it is rather the case of the government pushing the Church with one demand after another until the Church’s back is facing the wall. The Church has no option left but to appeal to the Court to seek redress and justice.

READ the complete article at RELIGIOUS LIBERTY WATCH LINK

Christian-Muslim Dialogue: Building a Common Society

Christian-Muslim Dialogue: Building a Common Society Published in Christianity Today LINK I wrote this article as a response to Chawkat Moucarry, “A Lifelong Journey with Islam.” LINK You may note the other responses by David W. Shenk, Evelyne A. Reisacher and Sunday Agang. These articles are part of the collaborative project between Christianity Today and … Continue reading “Christian-Muslim Dialogue: Building a Common Society”

Christian-Muslim Dialogue: Building a Common Society

Published in Christianity Today LINK

I wrote this article as a response to Chawkat Moucarry, “A Lifelong Journey with Islam.” LINK You may note the other responses by David W. Shenk, Evelyne A. Reisacher and Sunday Agang. These articles are part of the collaborative project between Christianity Today and The Lausanne Movement, The Global Conversation. Continue reading “Christian-Muslim Dialogue: Building a Common Society”