Malaysia’s highest court has finally ruled that Catholics (in particular a Catholic newspaper) has the right to use the word “Allah” to refer to God. The government had attempted to stop the long running custom of Catholics in Malaysia saying that it could cause confusion.
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s high court ruled Thursday that a Catholic paper had the right to use the word “Allah” after a long-running dispute between the government and the weekly in the Muslim-majority nation.
The ruling overturns the government’s controversial threat to cancel The Herald’s annual publishing permit.
“The applicant has the constitutional right to use the word ‘Allah’,” Judge Lau Bee Lan told a packed courtroom, declaring the government’s ban on the paper’s use of the word “illegal, null and void”.
The weekly used the word “Allah” as a translation for “God” in its Malay-language section but the government argued “Allah” should be used only by Muslims.
Now you may be asking yourself “Patrick, sure I am happy for those Malays, but what does this have to do with us here in the good ol’ US of A?” Well I will tell you. I have considered that perhaps we should adopt the same practice here. Well, if we do and then when all these radical atheists and secularists mock God (Allah), our Muslim brothers and sisters might just express their, um, dissatisfaction.
“Hey Aftab, did you hear what this PZ Meyers guy and Maureen Dowd just said about Allah? Just thought you should know.”
Then just sit back.
January 3, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Rick, I am VERY familiar with Lumen Gentium. It reads, specifically to your statement "But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator. In the first place amongst these there are the Mohamedans, who, professing to hold the faith of Abraham, along with us adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind."
This does not say they are "close to God". It says they BELIEVE they are following the faith of Abraham and adore with us the one God and who will judge mankind. Why? Because that is what their Qu'ran specifically says. The Qur'an is greatly a work of plagerism from Jewish and Christian texts. So, when they say that Jesus will come back to judge the living and the dead, we cannot argue with this truth. But when they say, "Jesus the penultimate prophet of God will come back to judge the living and the dead" then you can see they are WAY off on their theology. A half-truth is a full lie. Lumen Gentium is making the case that they may have a leg up on say Pagans theologically speaking, but if the Mohammedan cannot make the leap from their faith to the true faith, then it doesn't matter if they were Mohammedan or Volcano worshiper in the end.
January 4, 2010 at 11:59 pm
The God of Abraham told Moses to call Him "I am who am."
That remark became translated into Jehovah, Yaweh, and I'm certain some other words, perhaps including "Allah."
The name of the Father is unpronouncable.
We Catholics should simply stick to calling our Lord by the name given him by the angel. "Jesus"