Malaysia Won't Return "Allah" Bibles

10,000 Bibles Remain Confiscated; Government Says Use of "Allah" in Reference to God Illegal for Christians

(AP)  The Malaysian government has refused to release 10,000 Bibles confiscated for using the word "Allah" to refer to God, a banned translation in Christian texts in this Muslim-majority country, an official said Wednesday.

An official from the Home Ministry's publications unit said the government rejected pleas by church officials to allow the Bibles, imported from Indonesia, into the country. Christians say the Muslim Malay-dominated government is violating their right to practice their religion freely.

Such religious disputes are undermining Malaysia's reputation as a harmonious multiethnic, moderate Muslim nation. About 30 percent of the country's 28 million people practice Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism or other faiths.

A Home Ministry official said the government told the importer last month to return the Indonesian-language Bibles, which are still with customs.

"Actually the publications, the Bibles are already banned," said the official, refusing to elaborate. He declined to be named because he is not authorized to make public statements.

The Bibles contain the word "Allah," which is banned by the government for use by non-Muslims in an apparent bid to appease Muslims.

Church officials say the word "Allah" has been used for centuries to refer generally to God in both Indonesian and Malaysian languages, which are similar. The Roman Catholic Church is challenging the ban in court.

The government maintains that the Arabic-origin word "Allah" is an Islamic word and its use by Christians and others will upset Muslims.

Another 5,100 Bibles, also imported from Indonesia, were confiscated in March and have not been released. But the ministry official did not immediately have any information on those.

The Christian Federation of Malaysia, which had called for the release of all Bibles, described the seizure as "ridiculous and offensive."

"This constitutional right (to practice freely) is rendered illusory if Christians in Malaysia are denied access to Bibles in a language with which they are familiar," the federation's chairman Bishop Ng Moon Hing said in a statement.

He also rejected concerns that Bibles in the Malaysian language, or Bahasa Malaysia, containing "Allah," will upset Muslims.

"Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia have been used since before the independence of our country and have never been the cause of any public disorder," he said. Malaysia gained independence in 1957.

[peguesplace]

"To know a person's religion we need not listen to his profession of faith but must find his brand of intolerance." Eric Hoffer

[sharoncalla]

As many years as we have sent missionarys overseas, I thought the Bible (the one in America) was printed in "all" languages. The names you are refering to God like Allah, Jehovah, Yahew, Jesus, is the same as calling your own parent Father, Dad, Daddy, Papa. But a word of warning you must know the Ten Commandments and try to heed by them, and love one another. Treat others as you want to be treated, and show kindness. Also, say prayers asking for blessings and salvation, that you may not perish, but enter into the kingdom of heaven. Amen.

[formrusmcsgt]

The government maintains that the Arabic-origin word "Allah" is an Islamic word and its use by Christians and others will upset Muslims.
---
Let's not get our fairy tales confused here....

[peguesplace]

"There is but one god, and he is all that is"...Nanak
All religions worship the same god, but none can see ALL of him, and what they do see is colored by their societies and customs.
Like the Buddha's tale of the blind men and the elephant, where each can reach only one part: One perceives it as great wall, one a great leaf, one a snake, one a rope, and one a tree trunk.. So it is with religions and God. Only sensing one part, they assume they know all of god.. How sad they only see their superficial differences, not what is the same... How sad that they think they have exclusivity and are the only way. and the only true balievers..

[AnnieDanny]

Sounds ok in theory maybe, but it's the gods themselves that mess it up. They're the ones who get all exclusive about themselves. So until the gods sort it out between them, this is never going to be as simple all that. The gods won't allow it.

[armyoftwelve]

So if I'm an Arab Christian living in Malaysia, I can't have a Bible??
Pha-kiing stupid!

[mrjustice1]

My, M-Y god, is soooooooooooo much better, and smarter, and smells better
than your god!
In fact, MY god is better and smarter than ALL or your (other) gods put together! And M-Y god doesn't release foul-smelling bowel gases either
(like your does)!

RELIGION IS DESTRUCTIVE, DANGEROUS, DIVISIVE, AND DEADLY!

BAN ALL RELIGION, AND BAN ALL RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS, ESPECIALLY TEACHING RELIGIOUS HATE!

[dontknowitall]

There would certainly be less death on the planet if religion were banned.

[armyoftwelve]

The 20th Century produced a number of officially atheist regimes like the USSR and PRC and the result was tens of millions DEAD and environmental degradation.

We should ban WHINING ATHEISTS.

[ToolMangler1]

When "ALL" religion is gone, Morals will follow closely.
Why be nice or worry about your fellow man if you have no fear of punishment. (There are those that feel that way now). Study the word "anarchy"..

[earth5661]

Stalin killed 10 million of his own people and that was under the banner of a Godless communist dictatorship.

Pol Pot killed 2 milllion of his own people in the 1970s and he was Godless.

A meglomaniac is a meglomaniac and dresses in many different suits...some with religion and many without.

[cbs_tom]

Yahweh and allah cannot be the same or else God has a split personality. Moses was given the 10 commandments which included "Thou shalt not murder" and allah said "And when the forbidden months have passed, slay the infidels everywhere they are found....". Wouldn't that be a little contradicting. Jesus was prophesised precisely to who he was, where he would be born, and how he would be born in the Bible. The koran states that Jesus was a mere prophet while the Bible states that he is God manifested in man or the son of God. Please read and study both before making a decision as opposed to listening to supposed athiestic scholors that make foolish claims without them actually doing the research.

[DoubleHappiness88]

cbs_tom knows his mythology! Tom would tell us how many angles can dance on a pin*s head were it not a secret between The Invisible Sky God and Tom.

Had folks like Tom not been brainwashed as children, they would never subscribe to religious non-sense.

[U_S_Drug_Addict]

like the research of Smoldering tumbleweed carving stone tablets?

[cbs_tom]

"cbs_tom knows his mythology! Tom would tell us how many angles can dance on a pin*s head were it not a secret between The Invisible Sky God and Tom".
by DoubleHappiness88 November 4, 2009 3:25 PM EST

I was doing a comparison between two different religions based upon their inspirational books, and my findings are that they are speaking of two different deities by the evidence of what is written. Since when does this make me a brainwashed religous nut? Was there anything in my writing that stated that I was endorsing one over the other?

[sshivers]

"Was there anything in my writing that stated that I was endorsing one over the other?"

Yes. You capitalized "god" and "bible", but refused to capitalize "allah" and "koran". Your endorsement of one mythology over another is loud and clear.

[consciousnes]

You know, if everyone would stop complaining about what and how and who wrote words and actually practiced what is the basic ideology of all religions teach, we would all be living in peace.
Live what your individual faith teaches and the world would be at peace.

[U_S_Drug_Addict]

Judaism the Relgion of Perpetual victimhood.

[earth5661]

Yes, US Heroin addict

With comments like yours YOU too would be a victem as you spout the same diatribes that cause victimhood.

Did you ever hear of Jews strapping bombs and killing Germans after WW2 ?

I can't sau the same for the number one victimhood religion that you follow and defend no matter what.

Islam has OIL and money and yet they blame the ones who discovered it for them and cry victimhood week after week.

Look at a mirror my friend and you'll see victimhood.

[U_S_Drug_Addict]

told ya, dig into WW2 for a Victimfest..

[mawskrat]

Islam the religion of the perpetually offended.

[DoubleHappiness88]

Proselytization by all religions should be banned.

RELIGION POISONS EVERYTHING.

[armyoftwelve]

Atheism: the big big whining nothing

[ToolMangler1]

Religion poisons nothing, Man poisons most things he touches and that includes religion.
It is all about 'Power', who has it and who doesn't. "Organized Religion" is the single greatest cause of pain and death on this planet. Greed is a very close second. "Organized Religion" (Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Atheism, Agnosticism and every Deity worshipping cult in the world that Thinks their way is the only way and is willing to die to make the world over in 'their' image. I am a Christian (if you want to know more.... ask me sometime) but I do not believe in these people that would force me to live my life in their fashion. Most Nations have "Laws of the land" that prohibit harming another human. These laws are understood by most peoples on Earth. They are common sense laws. They encompass such concepts as "Do not kill", "Do not steal", "Do not Lie", most of these are religious precepts. They and a 'few' more are sufficient in most cases without a judge or lawyer. and this is the way it should be,

[csuresh]

Islamists always claim that Islam is a very tolerant religion. If so, why this problem of calling GOD as Allah? Where is the so called tolerance?

[SusanStoHelit]

Islamists is the name for the intolerant ones, the terrorists abusing Islam for their own sick purposes. I think you mean Muslims.

Islam is a tolerant religion. It has the same rules you find in Christianity (mostly derived from the same books as Christianity is based on) against taking the lord's name in vain. However - just like Christianity, and every other religion, it does have it's nutjobs. We have them too, people who will commit violence, murder, in the name of Christianity. The government is trying to appease the radical few, with a silly law. It's hard to say if they're right or wrong - when the wrong choice can result in people dying - which is the right choice? Appease radicals, or risk an outbreak of Islamist violence that may kill some people and make things worse for Muslims and Christians alike.

[formrusmcsgt]

Are you a Christian?

If so, I don't think I'd be pointing fingers at other religions regarding tolerance if I were you.....

[slownewsday-05]

What's the problem? Yahweh = Allah. Allah = Yahweh.

They are one and the same.

[cbs_tom]

If you read the Bible about Yahweh and the Koran about Allah, they are not one in the same. Just because someone says they believe in one God does not make it the same God. Everything about allah is different from Yahweh.

[slownewsday-05]

Not true, Tom - most scholars agree they are the same.

[U_S_Drug_Addict]

yeah man, my god is not your god ......
and your god cannot be my god because my god cannot be your god, and that is a proven fact.. (snicker)

[SusanStoHelit]

According to the Koran - they are one and the same. However, BOTH religions have their extremists who would fight that idea, BOTH religions have those who will use violence because they are so sure the two gods are different.

[John_Merritt]

CBS Tom:

Don't know where you get your information, but I believe GOD can be referred to as God, Allah, Yahweh, Jehovah, Almighty One, Great Physician. They all fit Him as far as I am concerned.

If everything else stays the same, except for the substitution of God with Allah, do you think God would have a problem with the person who was the recipient of the Word as spoken through the Bible? Just a question.

[KJV_1611]

the problem with your logic is that allah is not a god, he is simply an idol of worship and nothing more. Lord, Yahweh, Jehova, Jesus Christ, those are the names of the one living God

[U_S_Drug_Addict]

was the smoldering tumbleweed also the living god?