Arabic-speaking have used the word "Allah" for the God of the Bible since time immemorial. This is simply an assertion of supremacy. "Church cannot challenge 'Allah' ban, says govt counsel," from Bernama, December 14 (thanks to all who sent this in):
KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 14, 2009): The publisher of Herald, the Catholic weekly, cannot challenge the home minister's prohibition on the use of the word "Allah" in its publication, the High Court heard today.Senior Federal Counsel Datuk Kamaluddin Md Said told the court the home minister had the power to impose such prohibition as condition to be attached to the permit issued under the Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984.
"A permit granted under the act must have a condition. The condition is part and parcel of the permit and it cannot be read separately, and you have no choice but to comply with it," he said.
"Therefore, you cannot challenge the condition imposed by the minister on the permit. You can only challenge if the minister refused to grant a permit."
Kamaluddin said this in his reply to the application for a judicial review filed by the Kuala Lumpur Roman Catholic Church over the prohibition on the use of the word "Allah" in Herald.
He further submitted that the act was one of the legislations to control the freedom of speech and expression as provided for under Article 10 of the Federal Consitution.
On Feb 16, Archbishop Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam, as publisher of Herald, filed an application for a judicial review to seek a declaration that the decision by the home minister was illegal and that the word "Allah" was not exclusive to Islam.
The home ministry had approved Herald's publication permit on Jan 7 with conditions that the usage of the word "Allah" was prohibited and the word "Limited" (Terhad) must be endorsed on its front page, to mean that the Catholic weekly must be circulated only to Christians....
Jazakallah. Muslims need to stand up for what htey believe in! From now on, I will be linking directly to your blog posts, from http://OurIslamic.com brother Robert. :)
You're very inspirational, and I really like your writing style.
I am appalled by the requirement that word Terhad must be on the front page. Concerning the prohibition about the connection of allah with God, I whole heartedly agree. Knowledgeable persons about islam more properly understand and want the name allah and the notion of the demon god allah more properly linked with Baal and other demon gods associated with various forms of evil and despicable practices such as human sacrifice of nonbelievers and despicable forms of rationalized human depravity and rationalized sacrifice of believers to achieve baal-allah's penultimate objectives.
How would one say, phonetically, allah is satan?
I'm thinking it would be along the lines of masih ad-dajjal.
How far off am I? Anyone? Saleem Smith? Care to help me out?
Completely agree, David England.
Good old "moderate" Malaysia. Where's 4ch and Sri now to express their outrage, or to try to explain this away?
Can they use the word A****?
This is the usual way publications avoid using culturally forbidden words.
It implies, of course, that A**** is in the same category as other words that would only be used by the foul-mouthed, but somehow that seems appropriate to me...
"Arabic-speaking have used the word "Allah" for the God of the Bible since time immemorial."
There is something wrong with this sentence. Does it mean Arabic speaking Christians or does it mean Arab speakers? And what is 'time immemorial' supposed to mean?
If 'Allah' was used by subjugated Christians it was probably used after dhimmitude was enforced on them. In that case it was a defensive move in order to endear themselves to their Mohammedan overlords. But that could not have been 'since time immemorial' but most likely after the 8th century.
"Allah" is the Pagan Arabian Moon God. Christians should become comfortable with the word "Yahweh" for their deity.
The claim that Christians and Muslims DO NOT worship the same deity.
Ah that's I get for submitting before proofreading.
The claim that Christians and Muslims worship the same deity is false, they do not worship the same deity. It would perhaps be less confusing, that way and the idiot apologists would perhaps stop saying we all worship the same "God".
But everybody prays to the same god ... right?
Especially the "Abrahamic" religions which have so much in common ... all that Abrahamism and such.
I think not.
And apparently, neither do they.
The question of the use of "Allah" is an important word for the Christian faith. The origin of this word A-L-H or Alif-Lamed-He (Alif-Lam-Ha)is the same in Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic. Both the Hebrew and Aramaic forms have been used since OT times and is the basis of Genesis 1:1 in the majestic form.
The use of the word "Allah" (from al-ilah) was endorsed for Arabic speaking Christians from the birth of the church by none less than the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:7-11) for they heard the disciples speaking the wonderful words of "God" in their own language. 17 groups are mentioned and the last is Arabic so what word did they hear in Arabic? It can only be "Allah" (al-ilah)! Arabic speaking Christians have used the word "Allah" for 2000 years - 600 years prior to Islam. Jews were using the word for thousands of years before that! So what gives the Malaysian government the right to prevent Christians using this word? There are some 40 countries and 26 languages today where Christians use the generic word "Allah" - not as Islam uses it but as the normal word for God.
How would we like it if we were banned from using the word "God" since it has a heathen idolatrous origin and that Satan is called the "god" of this world? If "Allah" has to be abandoned equally the "heathen" words "god", "theos" etc must also be thrown out.
Furthermore, some of the comments erroneously say that Islam worships the moon god. This error of scholarship has long been thrown out. The origin of the crescent moon in Islam actually comes from the Christians. It was a symbol of power in the Byzantine Empire. When Islam conquered Constantinople they took the Empire's symbol and used it to proclaim Islam was now in charge.
The Malaysian government's banning Christians using the word "Allah" is an expression of Islam's perception that they are taking over and will dominate the world. Why shouldn't they believe that when they see the sick state of the church, western and Christian immorality, division and lack of commitment to the cause of Christ.
We indeed do not worship the same deity. Islam's "Allah" has no son, is not a father, hates all except Muslims, turns Jews into pigs and apes and calls Christians the violest of creatures. The Christian "Allah" in 40 countries and 26 languages (or God in English and Theos in Greek etc in the rest of the world) is a God of love - loves the whole world (even Muslims), is a Father, has a Son and a wonderful plan of salvation and everlasting life. We just happen to use the same word for the deity, just as the word God is used to express many different deities. I live and work in the Islamic and Arabic world and speak several languages including Arabic, Indonesian and Malay. I have studied intensively the beliefs, history, culture and linguistics of the Arab world for years and rejoice that my Arabic brothers and sisters worship Allah in church every week through our Lord Jesus Christ. Do not mock and shame our fellow believers by condemning them for using a biblical and historic word that has been taken and mis-used by another religion.
Finally, although I could say much more, the Malaysian Government's ban is in violation of the Qur'an and is an embarrassment to them. The Jews and Christians of Muhammad's day used the word "Allah" and this was not rejected by Muhammad and the Qur'an. It was accepted as the normal daily use for the Supreme Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Lord of the Universe. For Muslims today to reject Christians from using this word is to insult their own book - the Qur'an. Shame on you Malaysian Government! You are indeed not good Muslims! But then again, who is?
Denying the fact that "Allah" was worshiped by the Pagan Arabian people as the Moon God and principal father deity, married the the Sun Goddess, and the Father of three daughters doe not make that history disappear.
Allah has a separate mythology from that of Yahweh.
Perhaps now Allah my simply mean "God", but before Mohamed invented Islam, Allah was known to the Arabian people as someone other than Yahweh, the deity of the Jews and Christians.
http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/skm30804.htm
http://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-moon-god.htm
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/moongod.htm
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/islam.htm
You are absolutely correct! "Allah" is NOT a generic name for God or even "A" god. It is, as another post specifies,"...MOON god."
It is time for all non-muslims to accept the fact that allah is not God and God is not allah.
allah, the arab demon got elevated by mohammad from a pagan
little deity as moon god to the God only for muslims and this
Demon is and should be exclusive to muslims.
I remember writing to herald that anyone who worships allah is
worshipping the Demon,the Devil,the Satan and christians must
not worship allah; as Jesus has commanded in Mathew 6:9 they
must address their God as : Father which in arabic is Abba not
allah.