By Adib Zalkapli
KUALA LUMPUR: Friday sermons in Selangor mosques today reminded Muslims to unite over the “Allah” controversy, and described the use of the word by Christians as an attempt to undermine the position of Islam in the country.
According to the text of the sermon — prepared by the Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) — allowing Christians to use the word “Allah” would create religious tension. It also called on the Muslims to set aside their political allegiance on this matter.
“Although some [of] us may have [a] different ideology, it should not compromise the sanctity of the religion just for the sake of position and power,” according to the sermon, in an apparent reference to Muslim politicians who are deeply divided over the issue.
Earlier this week, the Sultan of Selangor issued a directive to uphold the stance that the word “Allah” may not be used by non-Muslims when referring to God in the Malay language.
“The decision of the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Thursday, Dec 31, allowing the Herald – The Catholic Weekly to use the word ‘Allah’ was shocking to Muslims nationwide,” said the sermon, which was meant for delivery before the start of Friday prayers.
“The use of the word ‘Allah’ by the Christians, especially in writings, must be stopped by the government. According to Islamic principles, the government has the right to take pre-emptive measures to stop [the] expected damage,” it added.
It also reiterated the stand made by Muslim groups opposed to the High Court ruling — that the move would create confusion among Muslims.
“We are worried that all churches will be renamed Baitullah (House of God), the Bible will also be renamed Kitabullah, and more confusion will arise if all religions in the country use the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God.
“Their aim is to equate Islam with other religions in the country. In fact, Islam is the religion accepted by Allah, there is no other religion but Islam. Islam came from Allah, while other religions were man-made,” it added.
The sermon also cited the Cabinet decision in 1986, banning the use of four Arabic words — including “Allah” — by non-Muslim as well as the state enactment which restricts the use of the word. The enactment was meant to prevent the word from being used for propagating other religious views to Muslims.
The first part of the sermon, which discusses the issue, ended with a reminder to Muslims to respect the rule of law, as the authorities are taking action according to the available legal process.
The row over the use of the word “Allah” has been linked to attacks on nine churches, a mission school and one Sikh temple over the last week.
Both the government and the opposition have moved in to defuse tensions, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announcing financial aid of RM500,000 to the worst hit church, the Metro Tabernacle in Kuala Lumpur. Opposition leaders have also been holding regular meeting with leaders and members of the Christian community.
Meanwhile, the Friday sermon prepared by the federal Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) did not touch on the issue. The body prepared two versions of sermon to be chosen by mosques in the Federal Territories today.
One version of the sermon urged the Muslims to control their sugar intake in an attempt to justify the government’s decision to reduce sugar subsidy, while another version discusses the solar eclipse which takes place this afternoon.
Courtesy: TheMalaysianInsider
Published By TheCatholic Observer
Dear Mohamad Saidin..your knowledge about Christianity is very shallow after having read your comment. You appeared to be confused about Jesus and about the Father in heaven. You do not seem to have read the whole gospel text but you choose versus here and there and start to fight that you seem to know better. But alas you are a fake commentator who do not know the right stuff , yet you lied and got the cheek to say Christians are confused and need to throw away out of court? You also seem to be dreaming..what court? You are really a faker who tries very badly to fake, to confuse others..people would think is this the way you learn in your religion? The concept of God being revealed in the New Testament about Jesus is very clear.Human minds are not God's mind. God mind is more superior.You cannot know or appeared to be confused when Jesus said I remain in you and you are all one. God is in us and this is why we are all temple of God...our bodies where the Spirit of God dwells and gives us life. We must not defile our bodies. Must be holy and pure.Jesus and the Father is One. Meaning there is only One God that Christians believed and worshipped. Jesus is the Word of God..in the begininig before the world was created by God, Jesus was present. It is now when God sent Jesus into the world- Word of God made Flesh and dwelled amongst us..so that humans could really see the manifestation of God who came to serve and not to be served. Jesus (as he is to be called Son of Man/Son of God) became human like us so that we can know Him better and know that God is Love. It is about relationship that God wanted all to be in..a family of God eventually. Everyone is brothers and sisters in Christ or are children of God. Your understanding on this teaching is also shallow. He came to suffer for our sins and the sins of the world. He came to bring us eternal life, Jesus said to His disciples you all will be one as I and My Father are One and I in you meaning God is with us..so we will be all one..unity in God. But the ultimate fact is that there is only One God, One Lord Almighty (Tuhan Allah Maha Esa). So your understanding about Christianity is shallow--so please lay off on something you don't know. The truth will set you free..so go and learn and read the bible first in its entirely before you come back here to comment. Jesus Himself said after me there is no more prophet to come. So there is no way Christians going to believe in any more prophet or other so called holy book...after Jesus the Son of God, the Christ has come into the world. In the past, God sent prophets to talk to men,,,,in the end of times..He sent Jesus (who is from God) into the world to save the world and to those who believe in Him, God gave eternal life in heaven. Do you know when the world ended,,it is Jesus Christ will come--to judge the living and the dead.and his kingdom will have no end...in your koran also said Jesus to come...not nabi ,,ok...so repent and beleive in Him now....salam
Published By Mohmmad Saidin
You the Catholic Observer has made statements that contradict the Gospel's verses that I have quoted previously, showing that the Gospel's contradictory statements are NOT only confusing but also unreliable as a witness' contradictory testimones or discrepancies to be thrown out of court! More Gospel's contradictory examples are as follows: John 10:30 "I and my Father are one," clearly contradicts John 17:21 "That they (the disciples) all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may also be one in us ..." in failing to prove divinity for them collectively, since the disciples are still NOT divine like Jesus and the Father. Moreover, Matthew 16:16 "Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," clearly contradicts Luke 4:41 because when the devils cried out saying to Jesus, " Thou art Christ the Son of God," Jesus rebuked and ordered them to remain silent. Again inA279; Luke 9:20-21, Jesus "straightly charged them (the disciples), and commanded them to tell no man that thing (the Christ of God)." So, contradictory Gospel's verses like a witness' contradictory testimonies (discrepancies) prove confusion and unreliability to be thrown out of court, right?
Published By No Allah in Trinity
1 John 5:7 "the Father, the Word (the Son Jesus), and the Holy Ghost (Spirit): and these three are one," has been expunged in the RSV of 1952 and 1971 and in many other Bibles as a gloss that had encroached in the Greek text. Check it out!
Published By TheCatholic Observer
Mohammad Ariff Saidin..pls stop making stories that are not true. You seem to be quoting a few of the verses from the Gospel about Jesus but you failed to quote the verses that Jesus said My Kingdom is not of this world; My Father (God) (In heaven) and I are one; I came (from Him in heaven) not to be served but to serve (meaning to save);Son of God; etc. Also in the Old Testament it Isaiah it clearly stated that a Messiah (Saviour) will be coming from the decendant of David....But your comment is all the most a mere wrongly conceived perceptions of an imagination only and you talk crap--you assume that Jesus didnt die on the cross but was switched with another person...what a big lie. Pls go read Luke Gospel and the other 3 gospels-- you can look into the Internet if you dont have a Bible-there you can see the truth that Jesus was crucified on the cross and even speaks to His Father in heaven..Forgive them for they know what they did...It looks like you are being bias and confused and ignorant in seeking the truth. You think Jesus is a prophet,,,but Jesus said I came that they might have life and have life to the full..;Im the Way, the Truth and the Life;...you are infact in a confused stage and your religion book is also contradict and perhaps this is why you are so confused yourself. Jesus died on the cross and He rose from the dead and appearede to many people during 40 days and even eat with them and when He acsend in to heaven, He told His apostles that He will not leave them orphans but will sent the Holy Spirit to be their Avocate . God is with us and God loves us. You cannot comprehend the concept of Holy Trinity in One God. Jesus is not just born a human but he is the Son of God and He rose from the dead and set us free from sins. He paid the price for our sake and He said..My Father and I are One.. you see me you have seen the Father.Our religion is ba
sed on love..and relationship. God has relationship and we are one big family of God. Jesus is Lord, and Saviour of the World. Be all praise to the Father, Son & Holy Spirit , One God forever and ever. Amen.
Published By Mohammad Saidin
Dear Interfaith Activists or Participants with the Catholic Observer included: The Trinity can confuse and insult or offend Muslims, especially when the kalimah 'Allah' is included in it, such as God the Father (Allah Bapa), God the Son Jesus (Isa anak lelaki tunggal Allah), and God the Holy Spirit (Allah Ruh Khudus). This Trinity clearly contradicts the oneness of God, such as "The Lord our God is one Lord" (Mark 12:29). "Ye have neither heard his (God's) voice at any time, nor seen his shape." (John 5:37), and "If I (Jesus) bear witness of myself, my witnes is NOT true" (John 5:31). Moreover, Christians worship Jesus as God the Son and God as well, as if Jesus is ironically the Father of himself as well as Jesus is his own Son. The Christians have seemingly elevated Jesus to the status of deity, because the Magi worshipped baby Jesus and most of disciples worshipped Jesus as God, when you Christians know for a fact that Jesus worshipped God only; that is, how could Jesus be God when he prayed to God only? See that Luke 6:12 states "It was at this time that He (Jesus) went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God" Compare with Mark 1:35; Matthew 14:23; and Luke 5:16 where Jesus indeed worshipped God only, and therefore Jesus cannot be God as allegedly worshipped by the Magi and most of disciples, including Christians nowadays. Subsequently, you Malaysian Christians have knowingly caused animosity with your Muslim neighbors by confusing and insulting or offending them via means of insisting to use the word 'Allah' in Trinity, instead of the word 'Tuhan' or 'Dewata' in Malay, since Christians are NOT required to say prayers in Arabic anyway that include the Arabic word 'Allah' UNLIKE we Muslims must say our prayers by mentioning 'Allah' in Arabic, because Allah does NOT beget nor is He begotten, and Allah has no partners or associates UNLIKE in Trinity requiring the deity to beget and is begotten having partners or associates. So, you non-Arab Malaysian Christians should preferably use 'Elohim Bapa' and 'Theos Bapa' since the Old Testament and the New Testament were first discovered by sc
riptural scholars and archeological researchers to have been originally written in Hebrew and Greek, respectively. Both scriptures were later translated to other languages, including Arabic for the Arab pagans who associated Allah with their deities, since like you non-Arab Malaysian Christians do NOT speak Arabic and they neither spoke Hebrew nor Greek. In short, you Malaysian Christians have violated the first two of the utmost importance in the ten commandments: Assigning partners to God instead of worshipping one God and causing animosity with your Muslim neighbors by insisting to use the kalimah 'Allah' when you Malaysian Christians can conveniently use Tuhan and Dewata, or preferably Elohim and Theos based on the factual reasons mentioned above. As far as Jesus' prophethood is concerned, see that John 6:14 states "Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world." Indeed, Jesus is also called prophet in John 7:40; Matthew 21:11; Luke 7:16; and Luke 24:19. Furthermore, all miracles performed by Jesus had been done by previous prophets, disciples, and even unbelievers. See Mark 6:5-6; Matthew 7:22; Matthew 12:27; Luke 11:19; Matthew 24:24; I Kings 17:6; I Kings 17:16; I Kings 17:22; II Kings 4:7; II Kings 4:34; II Kings 4:44; II Kings 5:14; II Kings 6:17; II Kings 6:18; II Kings 6:20; II Kings 13:21; and Exodus 14:22; If you think that Jesus is your savior, then you must know about why the Jesus' tomb was empty. It was because Jesus' double was instead crucified by mistake and was eventually discovered to be removed from Jesus' tomb, since it was specially meant for Jesus only and NOT for someone else to be entombed there. Subsequently, in Matthew 28:15 "So they (the Roman guards for Jesus' empty tomb) took the money and did as they were insructed;" without getting any disciplinary action at all for dereliction of duty pertaining to Jesus' empty tomb. In fact, the severely injured person speared into his side and nailed through his feet was never re-captured to be re-executed for good, like re-crucifying him with his body and head separated from each other on the cross. Think it over my Malaysian Christian friends and let me know via replying here or to my email address: MohammadAriffSaidin@hotmail.com
Published By TheCatholic Observer
I have listen to the sermon during Friday prayers at the big surau..from my house while the main door was shut, some 130 meters away and yet I can still heard that Iman shouting on top of his voice and his sermon blasting out loud through the loudspeakers on Friday Jan 15.It appears that Iman wanted everybody to hear his sermon- which is exactly as what is reported in here by TheMalaysianInsider. I cannot understand the logic why must the sermon be preached using the loudspeakers to the whole housing estate and beyond, when the crowd in the surau wasn\'t overfollowing into the road? The Iman also said why in Europe they don\'t used Kalimat Allah- why only in Muslim majority countries like in Egypt, Indonesia and here some section of these Christians wanted and insisted to use it...\'mesti ada muslimat\'..he shouted! I was none surprised though when the Iman didn\'t called on his congregation to be clam or let the courts decide (as the matter is now in Court of Appeal) or to condemn the arson attacks on churches..but he only the more the louder said in 1986 the kalimat Allah and 3 other words are not allowed to be used. 10 states, except Sabah, Sarawk, Penang and FT are in the course of amending the state enactment/ laws to outlaw these 4 words from non-Muslims..then I remembered the Iman said to champion( meneggakkan Islam) for their rights... it was one sided I shudder to think...btw how can they claimed that Christianity is man-made religion? Please go read and learn the history and the true facts first before making such unfounded statement which will not solve any thing but will make some of the citizens more in tense and anger.Christianity was founder by Jesus Christ Himself..when He came from heaven..from God..the Word of God becoming Flesh and dwell among us..He came to set us free from sins..He came that we might have life, life eternal in heaven.. He came to take away our sins, by dying on the cross..and by rising on the third day. Jesus Himself said in the Holy Bible (Al-Kitab Suci- that wasn\'t amended to suit anyone in power as claimed by some irresponsible people) that after Him..no more prophets will be sent...as in the past God sent His prophets..but in the last days..He sent Jesus His Son - the Word of God made Flesh. Jesus said I and My Father are One. You seen Me, you have seen the Father. There is only One God (Allah), the Christians do not worship 3 Gods..only One, Lord God Almighty. Mary (Mariam) is not a god..but a Mother for all of us..that she intercedes for us when we pray to her. The problem is that some of the people do not have the guidance of the Holy Spirit to comprehend and to fully understand the true and right concept of the Trinity in One God, nor about Christianity. For sure many also are confused on the word Allah--it is to mean God, not just a name. In Islam they claimed to have 99 names of God (Allah). Christians also have many names to call God (Allah) like The Creator, The Merciful, The Redeemer, The Saviour, Lord, the Holy One, Almighty,etc.. Btw the church (gereja)will not be renamed to baitullah...nor will the Holy Bible (in English) or Al-Kitab (in Bahasa Malaysia) to Kitabullah...so pls do not make silly guessing or wrongful assumptions or with negative perceptions. The Christians only uses Allah to denote as God for their Bahasa Malaysia worship.In English worship it is still God.Like Tuhan to mean Lord...not here to condemn Islam or to find trouble.Salam