I refer to the letter Dr M, you have hurt Sabah Muslims' feelings where the writer dismisses the fact that Christians in Sabah have used the term ‘Allah’ since before independence.

I beg to differ. There are numerous evidences to prove that Christians in pre-Malaysia Sabah have used the term ‘Allah’. During colonial times, certain churches had to import missionaries from Indonesia such as the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Kota Marudu. These missionaries brought with them Indonesian Bibles which used the word ‘Allah’.

As for other churches, the use of the Indonesian-language Bible was more convenient as it is similar to Sabahan Malay which has been the lingua franca here since the early days of the North Borneo Chartered Company. Instead of using terms like Kinoingan, Kinoringan, Kinorohingan and Minama'al, the use of ‘Allah’ was thought to be more acceptable as it was not attached to any tribe.

Most of the early missionaries were not locals, but they had to reach many tribes. Now, the term ‘Kinoingan’ might be acceptable in Penampang and coastal Papar, but the Christians in Ulu Kinabatangan could not accept it as it is associated with the West Coast Kadazans. The term ‘Allah’ was therefore more neutral and most acceptable since it has been accepted and widely used by hundreds of Christian tribes in neighbouring Indonesian Borneo.

In recent times, as more people moved around, the use of local dialects in worship has been restricted. For example, not all Christians in Kota Belud are now Tindals. There are those who have married outsiders and their children have adopted Malay.

Then there are also many people who have migrated. For example in Bingkor, the Dusuns speak Kwijau, but there have been immigrant settlements from Ranau and Tambunan such as in Kampung Baginda.

So, Malay is the most acceptable choice in Christian worship. This is further contributed by the fact that English proficiency among Christians in Sabah has declined ever since the late Tun Mustapha made Malay the official language of Sabah in 1973.

As for the writer, I would like to advise him to know his Christian friends better. If you go to Christian villages, you will find households which keep copies of the Indonesian Bible that predate 1963. As for his contention that the early Christians in Sabah referred to God as ‘Tuan Ala’, I would like to say that even among some Muslims, certain religious terms are not properly pronounced. For example, the name of the Prophet Dawood is usually pronounced as ‘Daud’.

Personally, I don't see why Christian Bumiputeras in Sabah and Sarawak should change the way they practise Christianity. First they would ban Allah, then they would ban crucifixes and before we know it, the whole religion would be banned. If the Christians give in now, it would only start a chain of increased restrictions on non-Muslim religions. This should stop here right now.