BANGKOK: Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing of Melaka-Johor says the Church in Malaysia must continue to push for the rights of non-Muslims amid growing Islamization in the country.

The 69-year-old Malaysian Jesuit gave an interview to UCA News on the sidelines of the recent Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences symposium on Religious life, held in Hua Hin, Thailand.

He spoke about the ongoing controversy surrounding Malaysian Christians' use of the word "Allah" and various aspects of Islamization taking place in Malaysia. Muslims comprise about 60 percent of its 28 million people.

This year, the government reportedly confiscated 15,000 Malay-language bibles because they contain the word "Allah." The national Catholic weekly, "Herald," has also become embroiled in a dispute with the government over its use of "Allah" in its Malay section.

Bishop Tan co-founded the Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hindusim, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) in the 1980s and has served as its vice president. He has also served as assistant secretary and later as an executive committee member of the Christian Federation of Malaysia.

The interview follows:

UCA News: What is your view of the ban on non-Muslims using the word 'Allah'?

BISHOP PAUL TAN CHEE ING: When Christian leaders met in Kuching in 1989, it resulted in a declaration that says we have the right to use the word "Allah" for God. No one has the right to forbid its usage, and it is part of the national language. It is a pre-Islamic word. All the Arab Christians and Indonesian Christians use the word "Allah." Why should Malaysia forbid it? But what we call "Islamization" is not only a question of forbidding certain Arabic words and phrases.

What more does it involve?

To understand this concept, one has to understand that for Muslims in Malaysia, there is no such thing as separation of state and religion. Islam, for them, is all-embracing. Therefore, it should penetrate all strata of life -- from daily living to politics. As a result, Islamization is a long-term plan in which Islam, with all that it entails, should gradually seep into the life of Malaysians -- Muslims and non-Muslims.

Forbidding non-Muslims from using certain Arabic words and phrases that have become part of the Malaysian language is, according to them, "to prevent non-Muslims from confusing Muslims and thus converting them subtly." Of course, this would involve the whole political scene of fishing for votes.

This Islamization process has now begun to penetrate our Federal Constitution, which is rooted in British common law. Using their own words, the federal law should be made "compliant with Islamic Law."

Our mission schools have all but lost their character, with non-Christian headmasters and headmistresses. The conversion of children under the age of maturity, which is 18 years old in Malaysia, becomes automatic when one of the parents converts. There is also the taking of dead bodies of people whom the Islamic department claims have been converted.

The present controversy surrounding Banggarma Subramaniam is another case. They claim she was converted as a child. Now she is married to a Hindu, and the Registrar of Marriages has refused to register them because it claims she is Muslim. Now 27 years old, she "asserts that she has lived as a Hindu for most of her life."

I could give you a whole string of attempts made to Islamize Malaysia.

How should the Church respond?

It should have the fortitude to continue standing up for the rights of non-Muslims and, at the same time, push for equality in dialogue with all parties.

Catholics form a small portion of the population, slightly more than 3.5 percent. Christians altogether form 9 percent of the population. Hence, it is vital that we join hands with all the other non-Muslims in the framework of the MCCBCHST. This way we will not be singled out as being against the Muslims, and we make our voice louder along with the others -- about 40 percent of the population.

(The Church should also) dialogue at all levels -- from dialogue of life to intellectual and spiritual dialogue. The Church, in spite of everything, must be open to dialogue with others, especially with Muslims, without allowing herself to be trampled upon.

What has MCCBCHST accomplished?

It has made itself accepted by all as speaking for the non-Muslims, not a small achievement seeing the political situation. All in all, it has not done a bad job, taking into account it is such a diverse group with various views. It has protested when rights were trampled upon. It has approached government authorities to put right what is wrong. Most of the time, we have been listened to, but no action has been taken to right what is wrong.

What is the role of East Malaysians in the future of the Church?

We have been pushing the East Malaysian Church to play a greater and more prominent role, because its Catholics are largely bumiputra. [Editor's note: Bumiputra, literally "sons of the soil," is a term used to describe the indigenous peoples of Malaysia including Malays.]

Having a larger number of Catholics (in East Malaysia), the Church will have a stronger voice with the government. If they take a stand, the Malaysian government cannot ignore them, because of their votes. It depends on the Catholics and the Catholic politicians from there.

Courtesy : UCAN