Recently there has been so much of debate regarding he use of the word ’Allah’ by non-Muslims in this country. My personal opinion is that, ‘Tuhan’ is a better word to be used by the non-Muslims in this country reason being it is a Malay word and not a foreign word from Arabic.

Why should we use Arabic for Christianity in this country? We have our Bahasa Malaysia, English, Tamil and Chinese. These languages are more commonly used in our society. However the use of ‘Allah’ cannot be wrong as it only means God in Arabic. It does not solely belong to the Muslims.

This is well-known fact as it is used by non-Muslims in the Middle East, Indonesia and East Malaysia. It is merely a title to call the Almighty. It cannot be a tool to confuse anyone. As Malaysians we all know that the word ‘Allah’ is synonymous with God in Islam. This is only because it is widely used.

If the name ‘Nabi Isa’ and ‘Jesus’ means the same person, why can’t ‘Allah’ and ‘Tuhan’ be used interchangeably? All the fuss made by the authorities that the usage of the word ‘Allah’ by Christians can confuse Muslims is baseless as all Muslims know that both Islam and

Christianity are two different religions with different fundamental beliefs. If one can be easily confused just by the usage of such a word then his or her strength in that faith is merely superficial.

Malaysia is a secular country. If using the word ‘Allah’ by Christians can confuse the Muslims, then I suggest that the state anthems be changed to only have Bahasa Malaysia words. The repeated use of the word ‘Allah’ in state anthems such as those of Perak, Pahang and Kedah may confuse non-Muslims.

This confusing debate can go on forever without an end. Be more matured Malaysians, and let’s live in peace. God is only One.

State anthems lyrics

Perak

Dilanjutkan Allah usianya Sultan

Adil dan murah memerintah watan

Ditaati rakyat kiri dan kanan

Iman yang saleh Allah kurniakan

Allah berkati Perak Darul Ridzuan

Allah selamatkan Negeri dan Sultan

Pahang

Ya Allah Yang Maha Kuasa,

Lanjutkan Usia Duli Yang Maha Mulia,

Dirgahayu, Darul Makmur,

Aman dan Bahagia Sentiasa,

Ya Allah, Selamatkan,

Duli Tuanku Raja Kami

Kedah

Allah selamatkan Sultan Mahkota

Berpanjangan usia di atas Takhta

Memelihara ugama Nabi kita

Negeri Kedah serata-rata