There are few uplifting stories about the police, so after learning of the swift responses from both the police and fire and rescue departments in the church arson attacks, it was such a joy to read about the performance of our ‘boys in blue’.

I even penned a column commending the police action but after reading the news report ‘IGP asks churches to increase security as not enough cops’ , I binned it.

NONE The IGP’s statement is ridiculous and disgraceful, but most of all, irresponsible. If the highest cop in the land tells us that he cannot guarantee our safety, then we are doomed.

It is publicising the fact that he is unable to do his job. We have already courted bad publicity over our perceived sensitivities with one word, now we advertise globally, that our security situation is precarious. Can we get any more desperate?

His absurd statement will be exploited by both criminals and extremists. The crime world will consider it open season for committing criminal acts. Terrorist groups will be encouraged in our moment of madness. And those low-level opportunist thieves will be rubbing their hands with glee, knowing the police are stretched.

But that is being unfair. The IGP was put into an untenable situation.

It is his political masters who have managed this debacle badly. The political fudge and dithering of our government to deal decisively with this crisis exacerbated the situation.

Nevertheless, the IGP accepted the responsibilities of his job. He could have persuaded the prime minister in a contingency plan involving the army or the reserve force, by discreet discussion, and not as he has done, by shouting above the roof-tops, of his inadequacies.

Our realisation that police numbers can swell during past anti-government demonstrations, contrast with the knowledge that in this potentially explosive situation, extra police officers cannot be deployed. Is this process of selective protection deliberate?

We are reviled and ridiculed

It is usually the most trivial arguments that will always lead to the most passionate responses. Thus, it is the loathsome actions of these very insecure Malaysians that have turned ‘Allah’ into a dirty word.

NONE Objections over the use of the word ‘Allah’, and the chain of events surrounding the ban, raises serious questions about Malaysia’s unique character. That we have fallen this low is unimaginable. That we are reviled and ridiculed, the world over, is undisputed. Malaysians will need a miracle to get out of this hell. And the road to redemption is going to be a long and bumpy one.

We are told that some Muslims are insecure about non-Muslims using the word ‘Allah’ and that it causes confusion. But every Muslim man, woman and child I meet on the street seems to have his, or her, head screwed on properly. They’re not insecure or confused.

So who are these ‘insecure’ Muslims that the authorities allude to? This ludicrous ban speaks volumes about us as a Muslim nation. And it portrays a government playing an orchestrated campaign in a dangerous game.

There are misgivings about this ban. Do these people imagine they can ban thoughts, like when a non-Muslim uses ‘Allah’ in his thoughts or in silent prayer? I also wonder if it hadn’t been ‘Allah’ as the cause of contention, whether another word or phrase or action, would have been picked as a petty excuse to cause dissent.

Whilst I believe that people should have a right to protest, I strongly disapprove of the disproportionate and conflicting responses of our senior politicians, and the different tactics employed against various protesting groups.

A Malaysian Christian family leaves a church after a Sunday service in Petaling Jaya If others have been previously barred from protesting or have met with strong police resistance, then potentially volatile groups, as in this case, should also be barred from protesting. What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. These mixed messages from our leaders fail to convince.

The churchgoers are Malaysians and it must be galling for them to find themselves embroiled in this situation. Their faith is sorely and surely tested in more ways than one. Not just the faith in the religion (it is possibly strengthened through this difficult time), but also faith in the constitution, the government and most of all in their fellow Malaysians.

The irony of course, is that this debacle started over a word, ‘Allah’, the protector of all beings, whatever his kind or creed. And in the end, it is the word that has potential to destroy all of us.

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real–speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.