The Malaysian government has reiterated that non-Muslims cannot use the word "Allah," sparking concern yesterday among Christians who use it to refer to God in their Malay-language Bible and other publications.
Abdullah Zin, the de facto minister for Islamic affairs, told reporters on Thursday that the Cabinet is of the view that "Allah" refers to the Muslim God and can only be used by Muslims, who comprise about 60 percent of Malaysia's population.
"The use of the word `Allah' by non-Muslims may arouse sensitivity and create confusion among Muslims in the country," Abdullah said.
His statement is the latest twist in a long-drawn controversy involving the Herald, a weekly organ of Malaysia's Catholic Church.
It was told by the Internal Security Ministry last month that its Malay-language section would be banned unless it stops using "Allah" as a synonym for God.
But the paper was surprised when the ministry made an apparent about-turn last weekend by renewing its annual permit -- a government requirement for all publications in Malaysia -- without imposing any conditions.
The paper assumed it was a tacit approval for the use of "Allah."
But Abdullah's comments on Thursday threw the issue into fresh confusion and will likely renew complaints by ethnic minorities that their rights are increasingly undermined because of government efforts to bolster the status of Islam, Malaysia's official religion.
The Herald's editor, Reverend Lawrence Andrew, said its latest issue on Wednesday still uses "Allah," but he could not say whether upcoming editions would omit the word.
"We will have to discuss how to go about this with our lawyers and publishers," Andrew said.
Andrew reiterated the paper's stance that Malay-speaking Christians have long used the word, which has roots in Arabic and predates Islam.
"The newspaper does use Allah in quotes from the [Malay-language] Bible. Nobody can tell us that we cannot quote from the Bible. That would be a gross violation of our rights,'' he said.
Andrew declined to comment further, adding the paper had initiated court action over the issue.
NASA scientists on Friday presented striking early images from the picture-perfect landing of the Mars rover Perseverance, including a selfie of the six-wheeled vehicle dangling just above the surface of the Red Planet moments before touchdown. The color photograph, likely to become an instant classic among memorable images from the history of spaceflight, was snapped by a camera mounted on the rocket-powered “sky crane” descent-stage just above the rover as the car-sized space vehicle was being lowered on Thursday to Martian soil. The image was unveiled by mission managers during an online news briefing Webcast from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) near
Malaysian police have arrested the founder of a “sugar daddy” dating Web site under anti-prostitution laws after it boasted that thousands of young students were using the service, officials said yesterday. The Web site bills itself as a place “where romance meets finance” and it aims to link up older men with younger women, with the men expected to provide financial support for their companions. However, it sparked an uproar last week after releasing statistics purportedly showing that thousands of students were using it to make money, leading one university to condemn the claims. Police said they had arrested the 34-year-old founder of
China’s military yesterday said that four of its soldiers were killed in a mountain border clash with Indian forces last year, the first time that Beijing has publicly stated that its side had casualties in the deadliest incident between the Asian giants in nearly 45 years. India at the time announced that it had lost 20 of its soldiers in the June fighting atop a ridge in the Karakoram Mountains in the Ladakh region. Soldiers used their fists, clubs, stones and other improvised weapons to avoid an out-and-out firefight. China was believed to have also sustained casualties, but did not provide any details,
Dubai’s royal family on Friday said that Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was being “cared for at home” after the UN demanded proof that she was still alive following “disturbing” footage aired this week. The UN Human Rights Office said it had asked the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for evidence after the BBC published video shot by the daughter of Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum saying she was being held captive and feared for her life. Sheikh Mohammed is the vice president and prime minister of the UAE, of which Dubai is one of the seven
RSS