Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kuala Lumpur (Agenzia Fides) - The Malaysian government, led by the UMNO (United Malays National Organization) has today granted the faithful present in Malaysian Borneo (specifically in the two states of Sabah and Sarawak in the Malaysian Federation) permission to use the word "Allah" for worship.
To explain the measure, the Department of the Prime Minister said that "the use is commonplace and traditional among native Christians in East Malaysia," home to the majority of Malaysian believers.
"The issue is getting complicated and becoming even more confused and contradictory," Fides learns from sources from the Church in Malaysia. Thus, we see the confirmation of what the local Christian community defines as "discrimination imposed on the Christians Malaysian citizens: in the same country, Malaysia, Christians must have different behaviors, depending on whether you are on the peninsular part of the country or in Borneo."
The Catholic Church "looks with serenity and hope towards the developments on the situation, especially the outcome of negotiations begun between the Government and the lawyers who defended “The Herald” in the court process." As Fides learns, this is orientation chosen by the Bishops, who have now completed the meeting for the Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei in Johor.
The Christian community has chosen to maintain a "low profile", not to react, not even with peaceful demonstrations, and to remain in prayer.
Christians and other religious minorities, however, do not hide the fears of a gradual Islamization of the country, imposed by the UMNO for what are believed to be political reasons.
Meanwhile today, in the Friday prayers, the imams of mosques in Kuala Lumpur pledged their support to the government, saying that Christians must not be allowed to use the name "Allah," as this would be "an attempt to undermine the position of Islam in nation" (where Islam is the state religion).
The sermon, prepared and distributed to a number of mosques by the Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) asserts that "the High Court decision was shocking," and that allowing the use of the word "Allah" among Christians "would create further religious tension." The sermon is reminiscent of a Government decision of 1986 which prohibited the use of four words of Arabic to non-Muslims, including Allah.
Among the measures taken by the government to defuse the tension, there is an announcement of a compensation of 500,000 ringgit (Malaysian dollars) to rebuild the "Metro Tabernacle Church" in Kuala Lumpur, a Pentecostal church damaged in the attack on January 8.
A 25-year-old student has also been arrested, accused of having launched bombs at the churches. Mohamad Tasyrif Tajudin was traced through a discussion on the Facebook social network. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 15/01/2010)
