YOURSAY | 'Perhaps the problem in M'sia is that everything is interpreted in political terms.'

David Dass: Malaysiakini columnist Zan Azlee supports the use of the word “Allah” by non-Malays, and calls for proper religious education and understanding to help Malay Muslims strengthen their faith.

When we pray to God, does he turn away from us because we use a different name for him, or because we use a different language when we speak to him, or because we profess a different religion?

God is God, whatever name we give him. And “Allah” is the Arabic term for God - used by Arabs long before Prophet Muhammad arrived.

The Christians of Peninsular Malaysia are not accustomed to using the term “Allah” in their prayer and worship. They use other terms.

But East Malaysians, for whom Malay has been their formal language, have been using the term long before Sabah and Sarawak became part of Malaysia.

And Sabah and Sarawak drew up a 20-point and 18-point agreement respectively as a precondition to forming Malaysia. Islam was not to be the religion of both states.

East Malaysian Christians are Christians. They are not Muslims. They use the Bible in their worship. It is the same Bible used by Christians in Indonesia. And the reference to God is “Allah”.

Indonesia has 24 million Christians. No one is confused as to who God is.

Anonymous 2413471460628504: I just read today about a governor in US who makes his staff put money in a kitty every time they answer, "That's the way we have always done things."

This should never be the reply to any question. There should always be good reasons behind an action. When the reasons no longer apply, we innovate and do things differently. Knowing the reasons behind doing something is the only way to progress.

Zan, you are clearly liberal-minded. The proponents of "Allah is only for Muslims", well, they choose to face a corner and refuse to turn around and see how big the world actually is.

Hamzah Paiman: It's about time the Muslim world stood up to people who make a mockery of the religion.

Instead of showcasing the goodness of the religion, we have half-baked preachers allowed to preach nonsense sanctioned by religious bodies for their own self-serving interests.

We have to put a stop to this or end up suffering for generations if we keep quiet and do nothing about it.

Ravinder: It is no issue at all; was never an issue for generations, and is not an issue among Muslims in other countries.

Where in the holy book are Muslims commanded not to allow any non-Muslims to use this word to refer to God? So, who decided that non-Muslims in Malaysia cannot use this word?

Ipoh PP: An Indian who is of the Hindu faith refers to God as “Kadavul”, while an Indian who is a Christian also refers to God as “Kadavul”.

So why are these Indians not confused when the same word is used to refer to God?

Ipohcrite: The ban on the word is not really a matter of religious considerations but that of the might of those who subscribe to the concept of “ketuanan”.

It is to show the minorities who the boss of this country is, and that the ban is instituted simply because "we can" through political thuggery.

Mosquitobrain: Now I know one of the reasons why Malaysia has failed to secure a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. Simple logic - the failure to practice what we preach.

Apa Ini?: Yes, it’s sad to see the “ban the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims” movement being re-ignited.

Malay-speaking Sarawakians and Sabahans are allowed to use “Allah” in their own territories but forbidden to do so when they cross into Peninsular Malaysia!

Apricot: The first time I learned about “Allah” being used as a substitute for "God" was in my freshman year at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 1985.

My Christian roommate who hailed from Kuala Lumpur had come back from a Sunday service at Dewan Kuliah Utama (DKU) and brought back a booklet.

When I flipped through it, it was in Bahasa Malaysia and the word “Allah” stood out. I was so shocked and asked him whether he had converted to Islam.

He told me that an English language service was not allowed in the DKU and they were not allowed to praise Jesus in DKU, no less!

How times have changed. Now Muslims want that word to be banned for use by non-Muslims. Maybe the administrator in UKM can come out and say something to the opposite.

ABC123: I'm not saying these Islamic extremists are correct. I also agree that people must have freedom to choose their religion.

But Christians who say there is no attempt to proselytise to Muslims, they are lying. My Christian friend told me that they do try to convert Malays and it's done in secret.

Abasir: "The adherents of both religions believe that they possess the truth and have a duty to bring the truth to people."

That is clearly the root cause of the problem and a recipe for disaster whenever these believers are thrown together to share living space.

It is a mystery why the "founders" of these faiths, despite their documented divinity and omniscience, did not exercise their foresight to strictly forbid proselytising... if only to prevent strife and bloodshed.

That, I suppose, will remain one of those eternal mysteries.

Falcon: Perhaps the problem in Malaysia is that everything is seen and interpreted in political terms. The result is that we do great injustice to the holistic love and compassion-based tenets of true faith.

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