The "Allah" Controvery - My 2 Cents Worth

I read with interest the stubborn stand by some Christians quarters on their supposedly constitutional rights to use the word “Allah” for their Gods besides the One professed by Muslims, although they are aware of the repercussions such actions have brought on socieity as a whole.

All of us have rights under the Constitution. The problem is if all of us are adamant about getting all the rights that we have under the Constitution, havoc would reign as some of the rights might overlap, some our rights might be insensitive or offensive to others. That is where an understanding of the need for the greater good of society as a whole instead of being adamant about our rights can maintain the peaceful and harmonious environment that we enjoy all these while.

I am not a master of religion or religious history. As a Muslim layman, I only know this: in the AlQuran, only the word “Allah” is used to denote the God that we Muslims professed, no other. Please note that Muslim do not consider translations of the AlQuran into other languages as different versions of the AlQuran, they are merely translation whereas the original is still the Arabic text AlQuran. Thus you can say we have no choice as such except to exclusively use the word “Allah”.

But I believe the Christian bible in English all these while use the word “God” and “God” has an accepted translation of “Tuhan” in Bahasa Melayu. Thus there is no exclusive need for Christians to be adamant about using the word “Allah” in their Bahasa Melayu versions of the bible, except for claiming it to be their constitutional right.

For Muslims, we have no choice but to use the word “Allah”. For Christians they have the choice to use other words. For the sake of the greater good of society, for maintaining a peaceful and harmonious environment, would not it make sense for Christians to let go of this alleged constitutional right? Would it be offensive for Christians not to use the word “Allah” but stick to “God”?

Why ask for tolerance from Muslims who do not have other choice except “Allah” but Christians do not have the tolerance to forego using the word “Allah” since they have other choices?

Please note that our Muslim forefathers display great tolerance when they allow the use of the term God or Tuhan in our Rukun Negara “Kepercayaan Kepada Tuhan” or “Belief in God”. Since Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, the Muslim leaders then, who form the majority, could have insisted on using “Kepercayaan Kepada Allah” as the first tenet, but I believe it is their appreciation of the need for the greater good of the society, their sensitivity and tolerance to the other religions in Malaysia that their relent to using “Kepercayaan Kepada Tuhan” so its acceptable to everybody. I think the Christians and other religious leaders at that time, and in the present day, would definitely object to using “Kepercayaan Kepada Allah” in the Rukun Negara.

Again, let the greater good of society as a whole prevail over our individual rights especially if we have got other choices. Unless you really don’t care what will happen to society as long as you get your non-exclusive right. That is the biggest show of intolerance of all.