Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharum has sai d that the word ‘Allah’ can only be used by Muslims in the context of Islam and not any other religion. According to him, this is to prevent confusion. However, he did not clarify which group is confused. Is it the Muslims in Malaysia or elsewhere, Christians or his ministry?

It is undisputed that the word ‘Allah’ existed long before Islam. Even the Sikhs have that word in their holy scriptures. How can he claim that ‘Allah’ is exclusive to Muslims? People in Arabic-speaking countries still use it. The word is used by both Christians and Muslims in Indonesia who has the world’s largest Muslim population. The Maltese use the same word too. Nobody is confused, not even the governments of Islamic countries.

The use of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims has long been a thorn in the flesh for the Malaysian government. It seems that Catholic paper Herald has been harassed for several years now. The Iban Bible was once banned but the decision was later lifted. SPM Bible Knowledge examinations is still conducted in English, depriving a large number of students from sitting for the paper. Bookshops selling only Christian books and other materials are raided. Often Malay bibles are confiscated. It is not unknown that when Indonesian workers arrive on our shores, their copies of the Al Kitab are also confiscated.

Now the whole segment of the Catholic paper’s Bahasa Malaysia version is to be dropped . With a stroke of the pen, a government department is disregarding all efforts to use and promote BM as the national language. It must recognise that the younger generations are schooled in BM. That is the language they are most at ease and familiar with.

The paper is said to have a circulation of only 12,000 in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak and a large number of Indonesian Catholic migrant workers. I obtained a copy of Herald from a Catholic friend. I noticed that only three of its 28 pages are in BM. I was told that Herald is sold only in churches. I have not seen it in bookshops, book stands or in public places. Why deprive them?

The ministry’s decision means that churches will now have to reprint bibles, prayer books and other literature to substitute that sensitive albeit correct word. Christians have to make a major change. All these gives no meaning to Article 11(3)(a) of our Federal Constitution which gives every religious group the right to manage its own religious affairs.

Is the Internal Security Ministry willing to disclose their report on the matter to the public? Or has it already been classified under the Official Secrets Act? The ministry will be doing the nation and indeed the world a favour if its report is published. They can then enlighten the world as to why only Muslims can use the word ‘Allah’.

Until then, we will assume that the Internal Security Ministry and some of its officials are the confused ones. And it is they who are now trying to confuse every sector of Malaysian society and the rest of the world. The ministry has preferred to take such flawed and rash administrative decisions rather than trying to educate the confused and helping to clear doubts.

The prime minister’s Christmas day message warned Malaysians to be on guard against religious extremists. Perhaps the Internal Security Ministry can take heed of this advice from their immediate boss. Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin said that Umno leaders were able to take action against extremist elements. Perhaps he could look into this too.