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Christians don't call Allah in everyday life PDF Print
Tuesday, 01 January 2008 11:32

The issue concerning the use of the word Allah by Catholics and Christians in Malaysia has somewhat been settled. I personally have no worries about it since the non-Muslims hardly use the word in their everyday life anyway and they also do not use it with the same conviction as the Muslims.

All my Catholic and Christians 'Thank God' for everything and none has said 'Thank Allah'. They, themselves would find it odd if they have to say Allah, while Muslims do it often.

I also find it baffling when I realize that the Malay word 'Syurga' and 'Neraka' are actually referring to the Hindu Heaven and Hell. So how come the Muslim leaders in Malaysia, especially, do not discourage Muslims from using the words by replacing it with Arab words for them instead such as Jannah for Heaven and Jahanam for Hell.

Malays who are angry will say 'Pergi Jahanam!' or 'Go to Hell!

So I hope by continuing to use Syurga and Neraka, the Muslims might be confused to mean that all their deads and misdeeds in life will result in them being sent to the Hindu Heaven and Hell.

How come the Hindus did not complain against the use of such words by Malays who are Muslims in Malaysia and in the region especially, since the words are not used by Muslims in the Middle East.

So there's no need for Muslims need not worry about it.

Even amongst Muslims, many would use the word Tuhan and Ilahi over Allah because it is not easy to prononce it correctly. And if the sound is not perfect, the person who pronounced it is telling everybody that he is not a religious person because he lacks practise in pronouncing the word.

Anyone who tries to pronounce the word for the first time will make the word sound flat and lifeless.

I would like to hear the church elders in Sabah and elsewhere in Malaysia to pronounce the word and say that they are praying to Allah to find out how it sounds.

But for me, it doesn't matter if the Christians and Catholics are allowed to use the word in their publication, whose usage may be related to history that some of their elders I Malaysia wanted to refer to Biblical times when it was so.

What I am more interested is if it is true that Christians and Catholics use the word Allah in everyday life. I have many friends who profess this religions, since I had studied in a Catholic missionary school in Melaka and mixed around fairly well with many of them.

But I have yet to hear even one of them spouted the word Allah in front of me.

It is true that the word has also the same meaning as the word God. But in America they are now preferring to call or spell it as G_d as opposed to God for some strange reason while the agnostics spell it as Gawd. 

No one in America calls God, Allah.

In my travels in few countries in the Middle East I have heard the Jews saying Allah and also 'Insyallah' in front of the Arab Muslims. I did not think the staff at the Israeli Embassy in Amman, Jordan was using it to make the Arabs comfortable but because they also use it often in their everyday life.

Here and in other countries the Christians and Catholics hardly use the word Allah in their everyday conversation.

So I hope the Catholic groups in Sabah did not try to be sinister in insisting to use the word in their publication.

The truth is that the Catholics and Christians in Malaysia and elsewhere outside of the Middle East has not been using the word in a very long time that it has become the 'property' of the Muslims.

And it seems to me that the Catholics and Christians in Malaysia and Singapore had already changed the way Jesus Christ and his Apostle wear from the Arab robes to a skirt with the Arab-style headdress looking like a shawl because they did not wish to confuse the flock, especially the younger ones.

And the nuns and priests, too, are redesigning their habit so that they do not look like what Muslim women and men wear. And if the nuns have to drive they make sure they open up their scarves so that they are not confused with other Muslim women wearing headscarves, while the prists are now wearing a red belt around their waist instead of the flowing white robes which look like many robes worn by pious Muslims. 

If they insist on being allowed to use the word Allah, then they should also insist on wearing their habits properly like what I had noticed in the past.  

So by wanting to use the word Allah instead of God, the Catholics and Christians are indirectly saying that they are praying to Allah.

Sincerely,

Mansor Puteh

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written by miwaki, January 01, 2008 11:50:31
What the writer tried to imply is that Christians and Catholics can use "Allah" as they like but don't put it in writing.People do not like to see "Allah" in Bible because it hurts to see their God being prayed by others who are not muslim.

As far as I'm concerned,this is trivial as God knows they are praying to same "HIM/HER !
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written by gene, January 01, 2008 11:57:35
but isn't "God" and "Allah" the same being? The question is not what to name Him in english, but when it is used in the Malay language. There isn't any other alternative for it in Malay
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written by sedan, January 01, 2008 12:16:05
The word "god" itself has a pre-Christian origin, and so is "Allah"
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written by gene, January 01, 2008 12:21:31
its funny how you are posturing the idea that there are agent provocateurs when you are calling malaysian christians cowards.
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written by Rohani Hitam, January 01, 2008 12:40:56
The Israelis say "Insha Allah" and "Assalam u alaikum" only to their Muslim friends, not to themselves or to their fellow Israelis or non-Muslims.

The West Malaysian Christians and Singapore Christians, who normally conduct their prayers in language other than Malay find the word "Allah" a taboo to be used. There shall be a backlash by fellow Christians here if the word is used. But it is interesting to know what they use if they conduct their prayers in Malay.

Indonesian Christians who travell or live in Singapore sometime conduct their private prayers in Bahasa Indonesia but use Tuhan instead of Allah. Whether it is fear or just simply trying to impress their Singaporean Chinese friends I don't know. Perhaps some may have used Allah we don't know.

Indonesian Christians used the word Tuhan in their Bible version in Bahasa Indonesia after WW11 but changed to Allah during late Suharto times. There was no objection by the government. Some said that the late Suharto's wife was a Christian and she played a role in the acceptance of the word. But I believe it is more of the state Pancasila, ensrigned in their constitution, that respects other religion.

Sabahan and Sarawakan Christians use the Indonesian version of the Bahasa Indonesia bible and use Allah as what is printed in the bible. They had never used Allah before the arrival of the Bahasa Indonesia bible.

So the word "Allah" is used to the convenient of the user and not an universal word as claimed.
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written by Malaysiaputra, January 01, 2008 12:57:22
Mansor Puteh, are you loosing sleep over the fact that BM Bibles use the term Allah ?. If so it is just pride . Has it made you less "alim" ?. I am sure not. Has it weathered down your faith ? I don't thing so, then why the big hoo ha ?.

Moreover, these Christian articles are not for Muslims to read.

I have read the BM Bibles before and I find that no Muslim will be able to mistaken it for a Muslim book. The terms are so different. There are references to Paulus, Korintus, Yesus Kristus, Roh Kudus which are not found in any Muslim text at all, so how can there be any confusion ?.

I rather think it is your own unfounded fear that Muslims will be confused. any muslim worth his salt will be able to differentiate the difference between a Christian articel and a Muslim one.

For your info, many Muslims who 'murtad ' in the West does not read BM Bibles or Christian articles in BM.

In addition, Muslim who are proficient in English can have access to Christian texts in English if they want to. So you should forget the notion that the word Allah used in the BM Bibles will cause Muslims to 'murtad' , that is , if you harbour such a notion.

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written by sedan, January 01, 2008 14:00:15
written by gene, January 01, 2008 | 12:21:31
its funny how you are posturing the idea that there are agent provocateurs when you are calling malaysian christians cowards.

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I think it's God Himself who brings a real conviction in a person, and His Spirit who bears the truth.

Play of words which mean the same thing is not part of the plan. I stated that all Malaysians display cowardice, and ALL means ALL.

If there were more courageous Christians among Malaysians, then there would be no problem in getting church building permits, would there?

Instead, they are more likely to get a contract without a tender. Money Ma!



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written by sedan, January 01, 2008 14:02:26
Does it really matter if "Tuhan" is used instead of "Allah," when the born again experience is supposed to be divine, transcending linguistic terms which mean the same thing?

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written by b00n, January 01, 2008 14:25:37
"Allah" is in Arabic same as "God" in English and "Tuhan" in BM.
So what's the fuss?.......
It just comes to shows how ppl are so sensitive about things that weren't meant to be. Stupidity and ignorance.
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written by BobSam, January 01, 2008 15:10:08
Mansor Puteh and his like seem to enjoy mis-stating facts. Mansor, are u aware that Sabah & Sarawak have "orang asli" like Iban & Kadazan who are Christian AND they use the Malay language as their lingua franca. So they use the term Allah to refer to the God of Abraham, who is the God of 3 main religions.
But u r right, when we use English, we seldom use "Allah" as God, but when we use Bahasa Malaysia, we use the word "Allah".
So Mansor, if it pleases u, then go ahead and gloat. But I m really sorry for people like u, who think the world & Malaysia & God revolves around you.
Please read your Holy Book. Read God's word before you read those of others. Get your foundation first, then read other books. But more importantly, grow up.
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written by Dogboy, January 01, 2008 15:33:41
It's all about nothing. FREE WORLD, FREE COUNTRY, FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Stop wasting time debating this issue. Allah is a word for God and anyone can use it period. Only Mansor Puteh is one name which should be avoided at all cost - silly article once again by an idiot
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written by Keith, January 01, 2008 16:21:18
Malaysian is more than just Peninsular Malaysia. People fail to realize there are 2 states across the sea, that culturally different than the people Peninsular Malaysia. The Ibans, Kadazans and various other people of Sabah and Sarawak have been using the world Allah in their Christian prayers before Malaysia or even Malaya was formed. The Herald is for circulation in Sabah and Sarawak as well as Peninsular Malaysia , you may not been exposed to the Christians using the word Allah in Melaka, but Catholics do whether you choose to believe it or not.

If you look for Catholic Prayers in BM , you'll find references to "Anak Domba Allah" which means Lamb of God. It's not a ploy by the church as you suggest, but rather the church standing up for her rights and for the rights of her BM speaking congregation.

It's remarkable that there are people who are willing to defend ignorant and arrogant decisions by Malaysian Ministers, and believe that people should be disallowed from using a word just because of their religion.
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written by cm2121, January 01, 2008 19:22:15
Perkara ini sudah diputuskan. Kerajaan telah meluluskn permit The Herald. (Namun belum ada khabar berita tentang buku-buku/risalah pihak Sidang Injil Borneo yang ditahan Kerajaan.... court case still pending i guess). Still... nda payah lagi bah mau dikasi panjang-panjangkan hal nie. Kenapalah sampai berbuih-buih mulut cakap ini nda boleh... itu nda boleh... yang penting kita semua boleh gunakan. Buat apa lagi mau gaduh-gaduh. Apa yang penting kita respek anutan masing-masing. Kalau takut "orang kita " lari... masing-masinglah kasi pelajaran/tunjuk-ajar... kalau masi juga mau lari... biar lah bah dia... itu hak dia... Itu keputusan dia... Itu hal dia dengan Tuhan Allah.
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written by krising1, January 01, 2008 19:25:59
I see one good thing has come of all this. It is now confirmed that the word "Allah" is not proprietary to Islam. I hope the Minister in the HP6 government has been sufficently tutored in the word "Allah". If I use "Thank Allah" instead of"Thank God", no one should be offended.
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written by evilbunny, January 01, 2008 20:32:11
you can call 'allah' or watever you want, whats important is how you obey 'allah's law...

whats the point of praying and saying allah all the time then go home and commit incest or other worse sins
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written by Sophia, January 01, 2008 23:15:47
Isn't it funny that followers of monotheism would argue over 'which' God is owned by whom?

No one owns God or the name of God exclusively. We only have our own personal and chosen methods to reach out to Him spiritually. In the end, none of us knows whose prayers are heard and whose are ignored. We are only humans, doing what we can to get by.

Muslims, please don't embarrass our faith by making big what is petty. Just let this idiot get himself smacked.
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written by Jampi, January 01, 2008 23:16:10

When I was in school, I had read few times the bible that belonged to one of my Sarawakian Cristian friends, which was in BM. I could clearly remember that it used the work Allah in the text.
That was in 1980s.

And it does not make me murtad!
.

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written by monstercat, January 02, 2008 03:14:00
Dear Jampi, good for you! Your faith is profound unlike many others who perhaps thought that their pahlal (I hope I got the spelling correct) will increased by fighting over an Arabic word that used to be used by the ancient pagans. Did your Christian friends tried to hoodwink you into thinking that the Allah in the Bible is the same as in your Quran? Sorry, can't help it smilies/grin.gif
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written by monstercat, January 02, 2008 03:29:10
Dear Rohani,

Yes, now that you realised Allah is a common word, you must also please remember that God is also such a common word. More widely used, some more globally. So why must fellow Christians in West Malaysia who have been using English, Mandarin, Tamil etc suddenly switch to Allah? You must realised that many English-speaking Muslims and non-Muslims also exclaimed "Oh my God!" quite frequently.

To unify people needs more than just having a common word for God and common understanding. How I wish it was that simple; I've a feeling you do too.

Happy new year to you and your family.


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written by Rohani Hitam, January 03, 2008 13:42:08
Happy New Year to you too monstercat.

Don't you think it's ironic that the West Malaysian Christians find the word Allah a taboo while fellow East Malaysians prepared to go to court to fight for the word.
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written by Tompios, January 03, 2008 17:28:05
Ms Rohani, do you know what situation in East Malaysia particulary in Sabah? Do not be so naive. We are colonized by Malay in East Malaysia. We are using your Malay language instead of our own languages. West Malaysia Christians are using their own language because most of them are Chinese, India, Indo-China descendant or Eurasian. We are really using Malay words better then you guys who are Malay spoken origin. What inside your mind if your hear 'Bahasa Malaysia'?

And again, true Christian will not calling God's name repeatedly. It is a sin for Christian calling God's name in vain. Christian are not allowed to call God's name as pleasure as they can. I notice my fellow Malay friends are always call 'ya Allah' every 15 minutes. I do not understand your your religion tenets but for sure it is very different then the Christians concerning calling God's name.

Finally, I will not blame on your ignorant about this matter. But, I personally blame 100% for all History and Geography or Sociology Anthropology's teacher for not teach you correctly.
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written by truthsetufree, January 03, 2008 22:15:24
"If they(CHRISTians) insist on being allowed to use the word Allah, then they should also insist on wearing their habits properly like what I had noticed in the past.

So by wanting to use the word Allah instead of God, the Catholics and Christians are indirectly saying that they are praying to Allah." - Mansor Puteh

Mansor Puteh if you really practice all the teachings of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. then you(Mr Mansor Puteh) ride a camel(unta) instead of Honda or any make for that matter.



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written by truthsetufree, January 03, 2008 22:22:46
Anyway concerning the argument on the name of G_D, Prophet Moses s.a.w. asked G_D what is HIS NAME was and was told ......."say I AM THAT I AM have sent you....."
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