The Trinity in the Quran

Anna Lee, via e-mail

This letter is written as a partial response to ‘Allah’ is for the whole of Mankind” by Zulaika. Zulaika wrote, “Now, the controversy arises as a result of the doctrine of Trinity held by the Christians, whereby God is referred to as The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost, which will not be accepted by the Believers of the Quran as the truth.”

Contrary to what Zulaika wrote, the trinity that the Quran finds unacceptable is not the Christian Trinity of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. (Christians today prefer to use the word “Holy Spirit” in place of the word “Holy Ghost” as the latter is an old English usage.)

‘Allah’, a non-issue really

Bishop Paul Tan

The reason why I write this short article is to dispel all doubts about facts, truths and rationality in the use of the word Allah, a non-issue really. It becomes an issue when it is being politicised which is the case in Malaysia. This article is not intended to be polemical.

First, allow me to make a few introductory remarks.

(1) I do not pretend to speak for every Christian, less still for everyone. I speak for many people who do not profess the Islamic faith in Malaysia and perhaps for a number of Muslims in and out of Malaysia.

For God’s sake?

Clive Kessler

Disputation in Malaysia over the kalimah Allah, the name of God, has not abated.

On the contrary, it continues to become ever more acrimonious and worrying.

These days we now even have some enthusiastic “idealists” who give advance notice of their readiness for a virtually premeditated amok — or to excuse others who might resort to that kind of intimidatory violence — in order, paradoxically, to uphold their notions of moderation, mutual acceptance and tolerance in interfaith relations.

A question of many parts

There are many aspects to this dispute, all of them requiring close and serious consideration.

God and religion, two separate matters

Vidal Yudin Wei

The raging ‘Allah” issue has left this writer wondering if Jakim and National Fatwah Council clerics who can both “see and read” are “blind”.

When I was young, my teacher told me that if I want to study facts I should take up archaeology, but if I want to find out what truth is all about I should choose philosophy.

I ended up somewhere in the middle and discovered that between scientific evidence and logic, there are matters that require a 3rd element called faith – to believe and accept in the absence of facts and figures. And religion is one such matter.

Don: Islamic state is not good even for Muslims

Susan Loone

He said these are the notion and role of an Islamic state currently being promoted by BN/Umno and PAS but both ways are “problematic” as there is no real debate on the issues here.Well-known sociologist Syed Farid Alatas says that one of the greatest dangers facing Malaysian society is the rise of Muslim extremism – Wahabism and Salafism – or legalistic thinking that reduces citizens to rules and regulation.

“There is not much difference between Umno and PAS, except that the former gives excuses that we can’t have an Islamic state because we are a multiracial society,” said Syed Farid (left), an expert in the area of the sociology of religion.

“The correct point I think is that we can’t have an Islamic state because an Islamic state is not good even for Muslims.

Constructive dialogue way to resolving ‘Allah’ issue

Ng Kam Weng

Proposition 1: We respect the right of PAS to spell out clearly its theological position on Allah.

Proposition 2: We respect the right of people of different faiths to interpret their holy books and profess their faith in their mother tongues.

Proposition 3: We must go beyond polemics in addressing the Allah controversy.

Proposition 4: We invite Muslim leaders to engage in constructive dialogue with Christian leaders to resolve the Allah controversy

The official statement released by Pas Ulamak Syura Council (USC) on 13/1/2013 has caused confusion and concern.

Islam allows non-Muslims right to ‘Allah’, says ex-mufti

Debra Chong

Mohd Asri (picture) highlighted that Jews and Christians in the Middle East have been using “Allah” from long ago and continue to do so without any confusion — an argument adopted by non-Muslims in Malaysia, particularly the churches.

Muslims who dispute the use of “Allah” by non-Muslims are those confused about their own faith, popular Islamic scholar Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin said in a recent lecture as the religious row on the subject continues to hog headlines nationwide.

In a 14-minute video clip posted on YouTube last Saturday, the former Perlis mufti explained that while the government has a right to restrict usage of the Arabic word for God, it should not use religion as an excuse because Islam allows for followers of other faiths the right to call their gods “Allah” if they are referring to the Supreme Being.

In the Name of God…

Dean Ooi

There is an insidious trend in some parts of the world, particularly in the West, where a significant group of people comprising differing social strata and affiliations voice their disbelief in the existence of God or that the universe is a product of divine design.

Some among these people demand the rights to marry the person of their gender, to choose when and how to have babies and the freedom to end their lives should they find lives too unbearable as a result of sickness.

They call themselves atheists or humanists. They are on a war path with the fundamentalist Christians and other believers who insist that things should be done in exact accordance with the precepts in the Bible or other sacred books.

Allah issue: ‘A show of power by majority’

Leven Woon

The Council of Churches Malaysia criticised PAS for its about-turn to disallow non-Muslims from using Allah in holy books as a show of power by the majority.

The PAS Syura Council’s decision to ban non-Muslims from using Allah in their holy books have drawn fire from the Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM).

Its secretary-general Rev Hermen Sastri said the controversies surrounding the issue were “a show of power of the majority”.

“If you say [the usage of Allah] would create confusion, then you teach your people how not to be confused.

‘Allah’ is universal God

Awang Abdillah

The contention from various organisations and bodies such as Jakim, Umno and PAS that using the term Allah is the exclusive right of Muslims has no religious basis.

Many Muslim scholars and politicians fear that the Bible and related publications using the word “Allah” as God will influence and confuse “innocent” Muslims, making them susceptible to being converted to Christianity.

If a Muslim wants to stray from his faith, there are 1,001 ways to do it, including entering another religion or even sect.

Muslims, Christians, the Word Allah and the Bible

 Anas Zubedy, via e-mail

Here we go again… Every now and then, this matter will see the light of day. This time around, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng brought it up in his Christmas message. I personally agree with his sentiment. We should all share the word Allah and make it the universal name for God. As far as the Quran is concerned, this verse explains the universality of Allah clearly.

They are those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right, – (for no cause except that they say, “our Lord is Allah”. Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure. Allah will certainly aid those who aid his (cause); – for verily Allah is full of Strength, Exalted in Might, (able to enforce His Will) – Quran 22:40

Clearing the confusion on the use of Allah in Bahasa Bibles

From Dr SK Teoh, via e-mail

Many Muslims and even some Christians have misunderstood the use of “Allah” in Bahasa Bibles.  To clarify some of the confusion:

• The BM Bible or the Alkitab is not translated from the English Bible but from the original languages, i.e.  Hebrew and Greek.

• The Hebrew word for God is El or Elohim (similar root as Ilah in Arabic) and YHWH or Yahweh for LORD. The Greek words are Theo for God and Kurios for Lord.

• Biblical translators all over the world have used the local language terms for Elohim and Yahweh e.g. God and LORD in English; Dios and Senor in Spanish, Shangti and Zhu in Chinese

SHUT UP HARUSSANI! Don’t make Malaysia more of a loony bin than it already is!

Joe Fernandez

It’s confirmed now that Malaysia has become one big loony bin! This is the only country in the world where politicians and government lackeys such as Perak chief cleric Harussani Zakaria have nothing better to do than to quarrel over who and who cannot use the term Allah for God in print in Peninsular Malaysia i.e. in this case in Malay print in the Bible.

The Internet is exempted. Likewise, there’s no Umno Government prohibition on using the term Allah for God in Malay print for the Bible in Sabah and Sarawak. There’s also no Government prohibition on using the term Allah for God in non-Bible print. Not many realise that there’s no Government prohibition either on using the term Allah for God in English print or any other language whether in the Bible or non-Bible material.

Putting Christ back into the Christmas

Stanley Koh

Is it not imperative to emphasise the significance of the spirit of Christ in our hearts during the Christmas celebration?

Christmas is just around the corner and it may come as a surprise that many people never reflect on why they believe or do what they do during Christmas.

They basically do what the majority of the Christian faith does or what everybody else does because it is easy and the most natural way to follow.

To put it simply, Christmas is just another occasion and time to be together with families and friends for a feisty and food celebration.

Empowered citizenry means ‘The End of Days for Umno’

Sakmongkol AK47

I have to repeat some of the issues and themes that I have done in the past. Most Malays are at the stage where issues such as corruption, abuse of power, the rottenness of the system that UMNO upholds feature less in importance than the overriding issue – will Malays be all right?

They know the government is bad, deceiving, incompetent, and dishonest – but rationalize it anyway by saying, if others take over, they will do the same. No, it will never be the same, because last time UMNO did all the evils when people are less empowered. Any government straying from the straight path now will be neutralized by an empowered citizenry. That is why UMNO is finding it hard to earn legitimacy at the moment.

No U-turn in Islam

Awang Abdillah

In Islam renouncing Allah is an act of treason of the highest order against God.

Malaysia, being a multi-religious country, will have to live with the differences in religious beliefs among the various races. Among the differences that have become issues of contention are:

• the pursuit by Muslim hardliners to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state;
• the supremacy of the Quran versus the Federal Constitution;
• the power of the syariah laws vis-à-vis that of the man-formulated (criminal) laws and principles of democracy;
• the jurisdiction of the syariah courts versus that of the civil courts; and
• an individual’s freedom of choice in religion or beliefs.

Does ‘God’ need help?

KJ John

In the philosophy of science, there is one really big action word: Anthropomorphise; which is when one uses human traits, attributes or thought patterns, and frameworks to describe another object of focus.

Therefore when we talk about the ideal of ‘God’ as an almighty or spiritual being that exists independent of all human existence, it is always a very challenging concept to fully appreciate our tendency to ‘anthropomorphise.’

In human language therefore, we consequently often “reduce the very nature and being of God” into human ideas and ideals to better understand and appreciate such an entity bigger than our minds or hearts can fully appreciate or understand.