Written by Bolly Lapok
The Bumiputera Church will continue to use the word “Allah” as it
is the fundamental to all aspects of our profession and practice of our
Christian faith.
As we have heard from the public forum today, and has been stated
numerous times to the media by church leaders from both East and
Peninsula Malaysia, the word “Allah” has been used or spoken by the
native communities of Sarawak and Sabah for generations. “Allah” has
been used long before the formation of Malaysia and is part of our
native language. It is used in all aspects of Christian faith and
practice by Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christian and other native speaking
including in services, prayers praise, liturgy, worship and religious
education. As such, it is reasonable to expect that the word also be
used in our Christian publications and multi-media resources.
It thus makes no sense that only Christians in Sarawak and Sabah may
use “Allah”. Christians from Sarawak and Sabah move across the country
from East to West to live and work and carry with them their Alkitab and
other Christian materials in the Bahasa Malaysia language. Even
non-native from West Malaysia own and read the Alkitab as Bahasa
Malaysia is our national language.
Nonsense to say judgement to be 'interpreted' as only for the Herald
It also makes no sense for the Court of Appeal’s recent judgement to
be interpreted as being applicable only to The Herald. While The Herald
may have been the case brought before the court, it is our view that
the judges have overstepped their boundaries in determining that using
the word “Allah” was not “intergral to the Christian” faith. In
deciding thus, the judges have arrogated to themselves a right that does
not belong to any human court of law-the right to determine religion.
It is the fundamental right of every religion to determine its
expression and practice of its own faith.
As such, the “Allah” controversy is about unreasonable government
policies and laws that infringe on the right of non-muslim Malaysians to
practice their religion of choice. In the face of such
unreasonableness we cannot and should not remain silent.
The right of native Bumiputras to profess and practice their faith in
their own language is safeguarded by the Federal Constitution. When
Sarawak and Sabah agreed tojoin in the formation of Malaysia in 1963,
they did so as sovereign states and with conditions attached; these
being known as the Sarawak 18-point and Sabah-20-point Agreements a kind
of covenant to which Malaya was a party.
Very first point concerns freedom of religion
It was not coincidence, it was intentional that the first point in
both these agreements concerns the freedom of religion, Sarawak and
Sabah consented to form the greater Malaysian nation with Islam as the
religion of the Federation on the express condition that there will be
complete freedom of religion without hindrance placed on other
religions. According to these agreements, Sarawak and Sabah were not to
have any official religion.
Appeals court re-interpreted Article 3
We thus view with grave concern the Court of Appeal judgement on The
Herald which has re-interpreted Article 3 of the Federal Constitution to
mean that non-Muslim religions may only be practiced in peace and
harmony subject to Islam. We do not believe this was ever the original
meaning of Article 3, which simply states that other religions may be
practiced in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation.
We need more that just a display of and ad hoc benevolence by the
Malaysian Government. We need a tangible commitment from the
authorities to respect and uphold the freedom of religion guaranteed.
By the Federal Constitution which is the supreme law of the nation.
We thus ask the Government to recongnise and affirm:
1. that the word “Allah” is an integral part of, and inherent to
the practice of the Christian faith by Bahasa Malaysia-speaking and
other native speaking churches in Sarawak and Sabah and Christians in
and from these two States;
2. that the Churches expect that guarantee of religious freedom
enshrined in the Federal Constitution when Sarawak and Sabah joined
Malaya to form the Malaysian nation will be full respected and honoured;
and
3. that the 10-point Agreement by the Federal Cabinet in April
2011 on the printing, importation and distribution on the Alkitab in
which the word “Allah” is an intergral part of the Bahasa Malaysia Holy
Scriptures and also on the practice of the Christian faith in Bahasa
Malaysia-speaking churches based on the Alkitab, will be fully honoured.
Full backing from Taib and the Council Negeri
Two thirds of Christians in Malaysia are the 1.6 million Bumiputra
Christians of Sarawak and Sabah who use the Bahasa Malaysia language of
worship in addition to their native languages. The rights of these
Bumiputra Christians must be respected and upheld.
Any attempt to forbid the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims
would be most regrettable and wholly unacceptable as it is a flagrant
disregard and betrayal of the Malaysia Agreements which guarantees the
inalienable rights of non-Muslims in Sarawak and Sabah to complete
religious freedom.
With greatest respect, we asked that these rights be given its
rightful place and that religious bigotry, racism and extremism should
not be allowed to show its ugly head. Mutual respect and acceptance of
each other community of faith should be the order of the day in a plural
society like Malaysia.
We are most heartered by YAB Pehin Sri Chief Minister of Sarawak
public stand that Allah is non-issue in Sarawak. We are also most
encouraged to know that many members of Council Negeri had expressed
their dismay and deep disappointment over how the Allah issue was
handled.
Malaysia was formed and built upon trust and mutual respect of all
that made the rich diversity of Malaysia. Let us build upon that
foundation and defend it from any who would want to rob it away from us.
God bless Malaysia!
Archbishop Datuk Bolly Lapok
Chairman, Association of Churches in Sarawak
Full article: http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=186871:swak-church-snubs-najibs-hazy-assurance-hints-of-taibs-support-demands-clear-affirmation&Itemid=2#ixzz2kWfpk0vm
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