I wrote a response, but my response is subject to review by the admin of the site. What the heck. I might as well publish my response here on my own blog.

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Let me help educate you a little more.  Sure, you write not to please people or for popularity but at least be informed when you write anything.

This issue is not about “fairness” or stomping on anyone’s “sensitivities”.

The term “Allah” has been used in the Malay language Bible “first, in the printed edition of the Matthew’s Gospel in Malay (Ruyl, 1629); then, in the first complete Malay Bible (Leijdecker, 1733), and in the second complete Malay Bible (Klinkert, 1879) and the translations since.” (Source: Malaysia Bible Society)

If Muslims in the Peninsula are only now aware that the term “Allah” is being used by Christians in Malaysia and are in an uproar and foaming at the mouth over it, is it the fault of the Christians?  Should Christians meekly stand down and bow to the pressures of the ill-informed Muslims and stop using “Allah” in their publications and Bibles?

Malaysian Catholics are not the only ones who will be affected by any ban on the use of the term “Allah”.  All our publications, our Bibles in our mother tongue will essentially be made illegal.

Talk about insensitivity!

It is the height of ignorance and fanaticism for Malaysian Muslims to say it is OK for Arab Christians to use “Allah” but this is Malaysia, and it is not OK.  They are essentially saying that their faith is so shallow that they are easily misled, easily confused, and easily intimidated by Christians in Malaysia who use “Allah” to refer to their Almighty God!

“Allah” as used by Christians, has a context and a concept.  It is a linguistic term that is not easily substituted for “Tuhan” as many are suggesting Christians should use to pacify the enraged Muslims.  The Christian “Allah” is not the same as the Muslim “Allah” even though some might like to think so.

“Allah” has been used by Christians in this part of  the world for well over 400 years, and to ban it just because Muslims are offended, and just because a fatwa says only Islam can use the term, is clearly an exercise in stupidity, ignorance, and fanaticism, and clearly willfully ignoring the historical context, concept and usage of the term.

Instead of fanning the flames of self-righteous anger, instead of allowing protests and furthering and fostering misunderstanding and disharmony, and be the party opposing the legal decision  of the learned judge, the government should educate the Muslim population that the term “Allah” has never been and never will be the sole domain of Islam’s.  No matter how much Malaysian Muslims would like it to be so.

For one, he is after all the Prime Minister of the country, not just the Prime Minister of the Muslim population of the country.

Secondly, and not the least, Malaysia is a country of laws with a Constitution that expressly gives any one the freedom to practise his/her religion of choice. (At least that is what appears on paper, but in practice that is entirely another matter!)

So to hear the Prime Minister siding with one community’s interest over another (ignoring the history and context of the usage of the term “Allah” as used by Christians in Malaysia) and telling every one that the government (no less!) would appeal the ruling of the high court, one is left with only one impression.

All Malaysians are equal, but some Malaysians are more equal than others.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has strongly condemned the protest against the relocation of a Hindu temple where angry residents paraded a severed cow’s head this afternoon.

Calling on the protesters to reflect on their action, he asked: “How would you feel if the proposal to build a mosque in a non-Muslim area - which is already happening - leads a group of non-Muslims to burn and stomp on the Quran?”

“Would not the Malays rise with anger? If yes, then parading with a cow’s head is just as insulting?” he added.

Khairy warned that such emotional acts could jeopardise peace in the country.

“If the residents were dissatisfied with the proposal to build a temple in their area, they should have used the existing channels to air their grouses,” he said.

‘Islam does not condone this.’

He said although a memorandum submitted earlier by the residents might have failed to change the state government’s stand on the issue, it was not an excuse to demonstrate in such an insulting manner as if this was an uncivilised country.

The Umno Youth leader added that he was saddened that the protest was done in the name of Malay non-governmental organisations and after Friday prayers in the month of Ramadhan.

“I believe this is not an action condoned by Islam, a religion which espouses humility and respect for other religions. This act is surely
to anger the Hindus,” he said.

“Where is the spirit of 1Malaysia, especially among the Malay Muslims who are the majority in this country. I pray that this incident does not lead to anything more serious,” he added.

Khairy said while he would rise to defend the dignity of Islam if the religion is belittled, “I will also voice out if other religions are insulted.”

Source: Malaysiakini

I never thought I would say this, but for once I agree with Khairy!

I know of one place where there is no room for any other religious house of worship other than Islam’s.

Mecca.

So does that mean the Muslims living in Section 23, Shah Alam are trying to turn their area into a mini Mecca? A place where no non-Islamic house of worship is allowed?

Makes you wonder if indeed this is happening in Malaysia, doesn’t it?

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — After a series of flip-flops, authorities in Malaysia decided this week that a 32-year old Muslim woman caught drinking beer in violation of Islamic law would not be caned after all.

The controversy may have subsided, pending a legal review, but it has left a bitter aftertaste.

The case of Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, a former model and nurse, drew the attention of international media and rights groups and presented a harsh view of the kind of Islamic justice dispensed in one of the world’s most moderate and stable Muslim-majority countries.

“It is pretty embarrassing,” Marina Mahathir, a leading women’s activist and the daughter of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, told The Associated Press in an interview.

Full story here.

“.. but it has left a bitter aftertaste” … I should hope so!

What an unnecessary publicity for the country!

If the syariah court was really serious about punishing Muslims for violating Islamic laws, why only go after those who consume alcohol?  What about all the other haram things that are done every day and in so many ways?  Where are the stories on those people who have committed what is haram and are being prosecuted in the syariah court?

And it is disgraceful that all the Prime Minister could say was that Kartika should appeal her case.

Well, at least all the negative publicity have resulted in a suspension of her punishment pending a legal review.

I have scoured the Malaysian news sites looking for denunciation and outrage from a BN politician or supporter over the tragic death of  Teoh Beng Hock.

Instead of outrage from Hishammuddin, all we hear is his fear that the death would be exploited by the opposition parties, and that the investigations regarding the cause of death be wrapped up quickly.

Yeah, duh!

Did he expect the opposition to accept the words of the MACC?  That their conduct during the interrogations were all above board? That we can put our faith in their own internal inquiry?

What a farce!  Does any sane person believe that the police will not take sides as expressed by Hisham?  That no stone will be left unturned during the investigations?

Tell me again.  How many people have died while in police custody or while undergoing interrogations by institutions such at the MACC  in the last few years?

Yeah, there’s a new guy at the helm of the BN-controlled government.  Yeah, but the new guy is from the same old corrupt political elites of the country, running the country the same way it has already always been run.

Sure.

Malaysia Boleh.

Again.

Opposition leader Wong Ho Leng (DAP-Bukit Assek) has been suspended from the Sarawak State Assembly for 12 months for a “camouflage” remark he made against a senior minister last November.

Speaker Datuk Mohamad Asfia Awang Nasar made the decision Wednesday after the matter was put to the vote and the majority of assemblymen were in favour of suspending Ho Leng under Section 14(1) of the Dewan Undangan Negeri (Privileges and Powers) Ordinance.

Ho Leng, who was given 10 minutes to speak by Asfia, protested that his suspension was procedurally wrong as Section 14(1) did not provide for any punishment to be carried forward into the assembly’s next session.

He said that under the Section, action should have been taken against him during last November’s sitting when he used the word “camouflage” in seeking clarification from Second Finance Minister Datuk Wong Soon Koh on the tabling of the Supplementary Supply (2008) Bill.

Furthermore, he said the suspension could not last beyond Dec 31 this year when the current session of the State Assembly ends.

“Under the section, any suspension automatically lapses at the end of the current session,” he said.

Later, at the State Assembly’s entrance, Ho Leng said it was very unfortunate that he had been suspended.

“It’s a very sad day. Unfortunately, in the Dewan Undangan Negeri, might is right,” he said.

Last November, Soon Koh tabled a motion referring Ho Leng to the Committee of Privileges for the “camouflage” remark.

He said Ho Lengs remark had imputed that he had an improper motive to conceal or hide a RM900mil expenditure which he had sought so as to deceive the August House to approve the money.

Ho Leng appeared before the committee on Dec 12 to defend himself.

Source: Report by SHARON LING in The Star

When the opposition party is a tiny minority in the State Assembly, it is not surprising that it can easily be bullied and bulldozed into silence by the ruling party.

Any “wrong” word uttered can be caused for suspension. Why is the word “camouflage” so offensive that it merits a year’s suspension for the opposition leader?

If the opposition is wrong about its perception of the motive of the second finance minister, why not just give the clarification the opposition seeks? But typical of the strong arm tactics of the ruling coalition in the state, or for any Malaysian state under the control of the BN for that matter, it is more expedient to silence the opposition. In this instance, a year’s suspension for something as innocuous as the use of the word “camouflage”.

It is a shame that in Malaysia, in general the people, especially the constituents represented by elected representatives like Wong Ho Leng, have no means to voice their dissatisfaction with the treatment of their elected representative. Is there a hot line number to the Speaker of the Assembly? Is there any newspaper that will report on constituents’ unhappiness at having their elected representative suspended from the Assembly and thus leaving them without a voice at the Assembly?

In the state of Sarawak, the role of the opposition is nothing more than that of a pesky mosquito that needs to be swatted every time it tries to go any where near to questioning the motives/agenda of the BN controlled government. Every elected representative under the BN is just a rubber stamp to whatever the all powerful chief minister wants.

Democracy, Sarawak style.

He is from the powerful ruling party, and he dares to compare his party’s illegitimate takeover of the Perak state governement to the struggles of Mandela’s and Ghandi’s?  Mandela spent years in prison for his political beliefs, and Ghandi fought the all powerful British colonialist for the sake of his country’s sovereignty.

I guess in a politician’s mind, especially those from the BN, fighting to keep his political power no matter how illegitimately gained, is being as courageous as Mandela and Ghandi.

Of all the arrogance and conceit!

*****

The crisis in Perak is democracy in action, or is it?  Are we witnessing sausages being made or are we witnessing the blurring of the powers of the palace, the judiciary and the executive?

The Sultan of Perak can put an end to the current crisis by allowing Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin to dissolve the state assembly and have fresh elections.  The people will speak and whatever government that is formed after the elections will have the clear mandate of the people.

Why prolong this crisis and get the people all worked up over their already heated partisanship as to who should lead the government?

And one more thing, Pakatan Rakyat better be sure to vet those who will stand for elections or there will be a repeat of “katak lompat”, a scenario so predictable in Malaysian politics.

SIBU: The term “Dayak” coined by the colonial power to describe all 26 non-Muslim communities of Sarawak in the 1820s should no longer be used in present time, said Rural and Regional Development Deputy Minister Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun.He said the term should be dropped because it conveyed negative connotations like being uncivilised, uncouth and “low class“.

“As a matter of fact, some leaders of Sarawak non-Muslim communities had some years ago suggested that the government stop using the term. I believe the suggestion has the tacit support of the leaders and the people concerned.

“So I am again reviving the call for the government to consider dropping the term,” Entulu told reporters after witnessing the installation of the new committee members for the Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) Rajang branch led by chairman Maj (Rtd) Mosses Ripai on Saturday night.

Entulu said the state’s native communities, despite forming more than half of the state’s 2.5 million population, had not been acknowledged according to their respective ethnic groups.

“If we look at official forms or documents, in the column for race, they only state either Malay, Chinese, Indian or others.

“This is despite the fact that the so-called Dayaks are the majority in the state and they are among the country’s leading population groups.

“I believe it will be more tactful and exact if specific terminologies like Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit and so forth, be used,” he said.

Entulu said he had heard of bitter experiences where Dayaks working in the peninsula were turned away when they wanted to invest in the Amanah Saham Nasional or when they applied for low-cost housing because some people there thought they were not bumiputera.

Earlier in his speech Entulu advised social or cultural organisations like the SDNU, Sarawak Dayak Iban Association and others to stay apolitical.

“Leave politics to politicians. Your association will suffer if the leaders started to behave like politicians,” he said. — Bernama

Now here’s an example of an elected official, displaying once again, why we the “unwashed masses” do not have much confidence in the intelligence of our elected officials.

Is it the fault of a particular race that there are small minded bigots who choose to look down on a particular ethnic group or other?

Will dropping the term Dayak change the minds or preconceptions of the aforementioned bigots?

When I was a kid, my grandparents used the term Dayak instead of the term Iban to refer to themselves. They knew who they were, backward hicks or otherwise, and they were proud of who they were. I am a descendant of such proud people and I have no problems if people choose to call my race backward or low class or crass. It speaks more of the people who think such thoughts than they do about me!

As to government forms, why does there have to be a column asking for one’s race? Or one’s religion? Are we not all Malaysians? The only place I see the importance of identifying a person’s race is in his/her birth certificate and that’s about as far as I will allow for that kind of crap.

Rather than call for the dropping of the term “Dayak” the YB should call for the doing away of government forms that ask for a person’s race or religion! There will not be a One Malaysia if such policies of identifying and dividing people by their race and religion continue to be perpetuated.

How about we start doing that by dropping race and religion from the MyKad?

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will go on trial for sodomy in the High Court in July, his lawyer said Tuesday, after a long wrangle over where the case should be heard.

The trial date was set after Anwar last week lost his bid to have the politically charged case heard in a lower court.

His supporters have said they fear authorities will be able to manipulate the case more easily in the High Court.

“The High Court today fixed the hearing dates for July 1 to 24. We have not been given the list of witnesses to be called by the prosecution,” lawyer Sankara Nair told AFP.

“We are deeply disappointed with the court’s decision last week,” he added.

Anwar has rejected the sodomy allegations levelled by a 23-year-old former aide — the same charge that saw him jailed a decade ago — as a government conspiracy to derail his plan to topple the ruling coalition.

The opposition leader is currently out on bail pending his trial.

Here we go again. Are we going to be treated to the spectacle of a stained mattress being dragged to the court house this time around?

I think the law criminalizing sodomy should be done away with. It is an archaic law, and there are numerous people engaging in anal sex and do we see them being dragged to court for such practices?

And did the young man who claimed to have been sodomized by Anwar claimed rape? If not, why are we being treated to this circus again?

Aren’t there more important things to focus on, like the tanking economy, then titillate the public with the sexual conduct of two grown men, that is, if the allegation is even true!

Malaysia to reinstate ‘Allah’ ban for Catholic paper: report

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Malaysia’s government has rescinded a Catholic newspaper’s right to use the word “Allah” just weeks after it gazetted a law allowing the paper to do so, according to reports Sunday.

On Friday, the editor of the Herald newspaper, Father Lawrence Andrew, said the weekly had been allowed to use the word as a translation for “God” in its Malay-language edition, as long as it printed “For Christians” on the cover.

The permission had been granted after a long battle with the government which threatened to close it down.

However, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar told the New Straits Times newspaper Sunday a “mistake” had been made, although he did not specify what it was.

“I think there was a mistake in enacting the gazette. When we make a mistake, I must admit that there is a need to look at it thoroughly,” he was quoted as saying.

Syed Hamid said the ban on the use of the word would remain in force until a pending court case decided on the matter, the paper reported.

“There is a judicial review on the matter and we leave it to the court to decide,” he added.

Home ministry officials could not immediately confirm the decision.

Andrew said he was surprised at the decision to rescind permission to use the word.

“Unfortunately, the apparent relief that we were able to enjoy has been shortlived,” he told AFP.

“I don’t know what the present status is as we have not received any official letter on the new decision,” he added.

However, he said the Herald would continue with the court case which it started to force the government to allow it to print the word “Allah.”

The government has argued that the word should be used only by Muslims, who dominate the population of multicultural Malaysia.

Andrew said Malaysian Christians have been using the word “Allah” for centuries in translations of the Bible, and in popular prayers.

The home minister’s comments come as some conservative Islamic leaders criticised the government’s decision to allow the use of the word.

“To me, it’s a mistake,” Malaysian Islamic Dakwah Foundation chairman Nakhaie Ahmad told the state news agency Bernama.

Around 60 percent of Malaysia’s 27 million people are Muslim Malays.

The rest of the population includes indigenous tribes as well as ethnic Chinese and Indians, variously practising Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism, among others.

Didn’t take very long, did it? All of two weeks.  It was a mistake, said the minister.  Yeah, right.