The title might be misleading for some, or rubbish for the hard-cores but realistically speaking, it is a fair one. I am here not to take sides, but it is alarming to see the figure you can find from a Facebook Group claiming themselves to be against the use of the word 'Allah' by non-Muslim groups.

The group, calling themselves ‘Menentang Penggunaan Nama Allah oleh Golongan Bukan Islam’ now has 94,005 members and the number is still growing. (as at Jan 6, 1024 hours London time).

As a comparison, the prime minister's Facebook has 69,163 fans after two months in operation, Anwar Ibrahim’s has 34,194 fans after almost a year and ‘1Malaysia’ with 59,783 fans. I am not being political but when I mention these comparisons, it is because they will indicate relevant statistics.

Unless you are from Planet Zargon, it is fair to say that it is hard to find supporters of Anwar Ibrahim are also supporters of Najib Abdul Razak. Leaving out 2.5% as a statistical error, the group has easily dwarfed the number of Muslims in support for Anwar or Najib combined. The ‘1Malaysia’ group on the other hand, provides indication of how the members can be more serious about the issue than the national propaganda.

Browsing through the members of the group, I can say about 98% of them are Muslims. Sceptics might say it is due to over-emotion, racism and prejudice but the large number indicates what these Muslims actually believe in all their lives and supporting this group is a way to protect their knowledge of Islam.

It is an acid test for both coalitions, Pakatan Rakyat for the 'Ketuanan Rakyat' concept and Barisan Nasional with their ‘1Malaysia’ concept. Both have expressed their opinions on the matter but unfortunately, both have been hypocritical about it.

Because statistics revolve around the theory of large numbers, based on the Facebook (FB) figures (yes, you can learn a lot from FB), it is fair to say that most Muslims are against the usage of 'Allah' in Herald. Since Muslims make up about 60% of the Malaysian population, it is safe to say most Malaysians are in support of the ban.

For that, Pakatan Rakyat has ignored the voice of the majority for this case, even if the majority comprises of mostly from one community. What happened to bringing back the power to the people?

Barisan Nasional, on the other hand, wants to promote unity through mutual understanding with their ‘1Malaysia’ concept. So why did they have to apply against the stay of execution of the High Court's decision when they should concentrate on indoctrinating the people of all religions about the 'Allah' as the ‘One True God for All’ concept?

I don't write to please people. I don't write to become popular. I write simply to share my humble views with the people. I must admit I myself found it a bit confusing when this case actually appeared a few years ago. However, after a deep research on the 'Allah' concept, I agree on the part that Allah is God, in Arabic terms and that Allah belongs to everyone, not just the Muslims.

Saying that though, we have to look at the reaction of the people and it is quite clear most Muslims in Malaysia are against the usage of the term. The question is, why?

Many politicians will politicise this issue and that is fair because it's the only thing they are good at. Come again? No, read again. I did not generalise and I used the word 'many', not 'most' or 'all'. However though, I am confident to say most Muslims in Malaysia still think 'Allah' can only be used by Muslims. I do not blame them though as I myself was never taught about the definition and the concept of 'Allah' during all the Islamic Studies classes I joined during my younger days.

Thanks to Wikipedia, it is all clear now. But of course Rome was not built in one day and it will take many, many years to 'undo' this misinformation that has been planted in the minds of Muslims in Malaysia through the 'Pendidikan Islam' syllabus. There's nothing wrong with the syllabus.

The concept of 'Allah' as the God for all creatures not just for the Muslims is simply not highlighted there. Scores still think 'Allah' is the Muslim God, 'Jesus the Nazareth' is the only Christian God and Buddha is the Buddhist God when all these thoughts are wrong altogether.

When these Muslims are misinformed, the thought of a Christian weekly ( Herald ) using 'Allah' for its Bahasa Malaysia version would leave a bad taste. It is normal for people to protect all the knowledge and beliefs they carry all their lives. It is also natural to be prejudiced. Some might think the Herald is just trying its best to lure fellow Muslims to convert to Christianity when the Bahasa Malaysia version use the word 'Allah' instead of the normal 'Tuhan'.

For the peninsular people at least. Christians in Sabah and Sarawak have been reading the Bahasa Malaysia version with the word 'Allah' in reference to God. Of course it is a shock for the Peninsular people to accept something which is very uncommon to them. That is normal.

What happened to sensitivity? Al-Islam snooping in a church to look out for Muslims who convert to Christianity? Feel free to be angry. That is insensitive if you ask me. The Herald using 'Allah' for their Bahasa Malaysia version despite anger from the Muslims? That is insensitive too if you ask me.

So let us be fair. Again, I don't have a real solution for this debacle. But let me suggest a few things. First, for now, the Herald should not be allowed to use 'Allah' in their Bahasa Malaysia version because the people reject it (why do you think it is a big issue at the first place? It is simply because most Muslims - if not most Malaysians - are against it).

Secondly, in the years to come, please include the concept of 'Allah' as the One True God, The God for All, because Allah creates every single thing in the universe and for that, Allah is the One God for All, not just for the Muslims in the ‘Pendidikan Islam’ syllabus.

Thirdly, it is very, very clear how Malaysians, be they Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists etc do not actually know each other very well, if we not are sensitive towards each other. We need to do more campaigns on promoting understanding and respect among one another.

P.S. The number has now grown to 97,177 since I last checked. A jump of 3,172. That’s a lot in the the Facebook-Malaysians world. Do the hard core still think these people are Umno-paid cyber-troopers?