Malaysia’s main opposition Islamic party has supported Christians using the word “Allah” for God, despite strong opposition in other Muslim circles following a court order favoring Christians.

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 31 overturned a government ban on non-Muslim publications using the word.

Christians say for centuries they have been using the word to refer to God in Malaya language.

“The use of the word Allah by the people of the Abrahamic faiths such as Christianity and Judaism is acceptable,” PAS (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party) declared Jan. 5 on its website.

But the word “must not be misused or abused or it will affect racial and religious harmony in the country,” the statement cautioned.

“PAS strongly objects to any aggressive and provocative approach that can lead to tension in society.”

Other Islamic groups have not been so accommodating.

A Facebook group opposed to the practice has attracted more than 60,000 hits, and many personal blogs written by Malaysians are abuzz over the issue.

Even former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has entered the fray, saying “such a sensitive matter cannot be resolved by only referring to the law.”

“Allah” is not an accurate translation for “God” in the Christian sense, he argued in his Malay-language blog.

However, his daughter Marina Mahathir, a social activist, wrote in her blog that “a confident Muslim never gets confused over which is his/her religion and which is other people’s.”

Prominent Islamic scholar Mohammad Asri Zainul Abidin called for guidelines on the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims.

The lecturer of Islamic studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia (Malaysian University of Science) in Penang and former mufti (interpreter or expounder of Islamic law) of Perlis state outlined his suggestions in his Malay-language blog.

“Allah” should be used only to refer to the one true God and no other deity, he insisted. No one should use the word “Allah” to insult Islam or to manipulate Islamic teachings, he added.

In interactions between Muslims and people of other religions, the word “Allah” should be used in a respectful way that glorifies God, the scholar continued.

He also referred to a statement he had made in his blog in the past: “Contesting the name of God is not the need of the day, but rather a movement to build up the faith and improve the welfare of the people.”

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur made its decision in a case brought by the national Catholic weekly “Herald.” The weekly had sought to overturn a government ban on its use of “Allah” to refer to God in its Malay-language section.

The Home Ministry on Jan. 4 lodged an appeal against the ruling.

The government and some Muslim groups have maintained that allowing religions other than Islam to use the word “Allah” would confuse Muslims.

Source: Islamic party approves Christian use of ‘Allah’ (UCAN)

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