Saturday, December 22, 2007

Watch those State Anthems!

From Malaysiakini's report :

Johari Ibrahim says : “Only Muslims can use ‘Allah’. It’s a Muslim word, you see. It’s from (the Arabic (language). We cannot let other religions use it because it will confuse people,” he said when contacted today.

excerpts from :
Johore state anthem : "Allah peliharakan Sultan.."
Selangor state anthem : "Allah lanjutkan usia Tuanku.."

and I can go on pasting lyrics from anthems of the remainder states with Sultans.

I am sure the Sultans of all states would not discriminate amongst their subjects, and would like ALL subjects to be sing to their respective state anthems with pride and love. Hmmm.. now perhaps, they can't and shouldn't, especially if they are Catholics.

Too strict an interpretation of what Johari Ibrahim says, you say?

Well, whilst I understand the concerns amongts Muslims, one thing that Muslims in Malaysia too, need to be aware of is that beyond Malaysia, say just across the waters in Indonesia, and further, Allah is used as a reference of and the name of God.

Islam is not about suppression. Islamic scholars actually invite everyone to have intelligent discussions and debates, to argue each other's cases. You cannot debate on Islam intelligently if you are not well-read. The first word in the Quran is after all, "Read".

The word ‘Allah’ can only be used in the context of Islam and not any other religion, said Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharum, as reported in Malaysiakini.

If the word "Allah" is only for the Muslims, then how would non-Muslims wanting to learn the religion do so - can't they write, say or mention the word "Allah" in their quests, writings and queries?

Johari, all you need to do is ask the Herald to just print a disclaimer, to say that the Herald does not profess to write about Islam but instead, it is a circular on Christianity in its Malay section. Most of the Christian literature in the Malay language are brought in from Indonesia, which also refer to God as Allah, or Tuhan Yesus.

What do you want to do? Not let them write in Malay? To not let them print in the Malay language is then saying that "The Malay language is only for the Muslims." You better make sure you retain some sense, else the whole of Malaysian schools will be headed for trouble!

If you really speak on Islam, you would want to think that Allah is for all. He is the Most Merciful, Most Loving, Most Forgiving. Islam means submission to Allah, the one God. Allah never made Himself exclusive, yet Johari is.

Islam is in its simplest sense and meaning, submission to Allah swt, the one God. The people of the Book refer to Allah as God. So some religions reject Islam, but as they follow their versions of religion which perhaps are based on the Books, hence referring to their God as Allah, like the Arab Christians do. What do you want to do about them, Johari?

Well, if Johari wants to make Islam so narrow, then this is how narrow things can get. Go to the Arab nations, go after the Arab Christians who use and refer to God as "Allah". Johari, all you need to do, is Iqra'. Read, and sir, "read" does not simply mean read and let lost, it means you also need to understand, and use your brains.

Many people make reference to "Allah". What do you say to the Sikhs? Not let them use "allah" too? Even the late Lim Goh Tong once said during the Genting landslide, when asked about the cause, "Ini Tuhan Allah punya kuasa". Go take out the tv footage when he was interviewed at the mishap location. I recall that bit clearly! Now, I'm pretty sure he wasn't a Muslim!

(wikipedia :
Arabic-speakers of all Abrahamic faiths, including Christians and Jews, use the word "Allah" to mean "God". The Christian Arabs of today have no other word for 'God' than 'Allah'. Arab Christians for example use terms Allāh al-ab (الله الآب) meaning God the father, Allāh al-ibn (الله الابن) mean God the son, and Allāh al-ruh al ghodus (الله الروح القدس) meaning God the Holy Spirit (See God in Christianity for the Christian concept of God).

If only Johari is better read, he would have found this out within seconds and not make such statements. Then again, if he didn't, we wouldn't have things to make fun of. And if he didn't, he wouldn't have gotten the support from the poor pakciks and makciks who are not educated enough to understand the underlying reason for his statement. Make use of Islam to gain political mileage, why don't you...

1 comment:

Samuel Goh Kim Eng said...

Only You God can make the darkness bright

Only You God can make the burdens light

Blessed are those who don't know You by name

Yet they believe and love You just the same

(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Sun. 23rd Dec. 2007.