Religious? I'd say INSECURE.

I've finally found something interesting to blog about. Something I strongly feel about.

3 Malaysian churches attacked in 'Allah' dispute

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Religious tensions in Muslim-majority Malaysia turned violent Friday with firebomb attacks on three churches following a court decision that allows Christians to translate God as Allah.

"Allah is only for us," said a poster waved at one of at least two protests outside mosques in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, the Muslim holy day.

Many Muslims are angry about a Dec. 31 High Court decision overturning a government ban on Roman Catholics' using "Allah" for God in the Malay-language edition of their main newspaper, the Herald.

The ruling also applies to the ban's broader applications, such as Malay-language Bibles, 10,000 copies of which were recently seized by authorities because they translated God as Allah.

"We will not allow the word Allah to be inscribed in your churches," a speaker shouted over a loudspeaker at the Kampung Bahru mosque.

The Herald says its Malay edition is read mainly by Christian indigenous tribes in the remote states of Sabah and Sarawak.

But the government contends that making Allah synonymous with God may confuse Muslims and ultimately mislead to them into converting to Christianity, a punishable offense in Malaysia despite a constitution that guarantees freedom of religion.

It suggests using "Tuhan," but Christians say Tuhan is more like "Lord," and can't replace "Allah."

Leading Muslim scholars, activists and opposition politicians have supported the Christians' right to call God Allah, and Friday's protests were relatively small, with most of the congregation ignoring them.

Still, the unprecedented church attacks compounded the difficulties for a country that prides itself on having managed to maintain broad harmony among a mix of racial and religious gaps. About 9 percent of Malaysia's 28 million people are Christian, including 800,000 Catholics, most of whom are ethnic Chinese or Indian. Muslims are 60 percent.

Minorities have long complained of discrimination. The government refuses to allow construction of new churches and temples, court verdicts in religious disputes usually favor Muslims, and an array of laws guarantee preferential treatment for Malays, the dominant and largely Muslim ethnic group, in jobs, housing and education.

"The distrust has always been there but now the minorities in Malaysia feel that they are under siege," saidJames Chin, who teaches political science at the Monash University in Malaysia.

The Allah ban is unusual in the Muslim world. The Arabic word is commonly used by Christians to describe God in such countries as Egypt and Syria. The confiscated Bibles came from neighboring Indonesia, an overwhelmingly Muslim country.

Bassilius Nassour, a Greek Orthodox bishop in Damascus, called the Malaysian government's position "shameful."

"It shows Malaysia to be a backward, pagan state because God teaches freedom for everyone, and the word 'Allah' is for everyone," he said.

Some government critics suggest the Allah ban is designed to win back Muslim voters who deserted Prime Minister Najib Razak's United Malays National Organization party in the 2008 general election — a charge Najib denies. He condemned the church attacks and promised the government would "take whatever steps it can to prevent such acts."

Since the court ruling, hateful comments and threats against Christians have been posted widely on the Internet, but the attacks in suburban Kuala Lumpur, the capital, mark the first time that the Allah controversy has resulted in vandalism.

In the worst incident, the ground-floor office of the three-story Metro Tabernacle Church was gutted by a firebomb thrown by attackers on motorcycles, police said. The upstairs prayer halls were undamaged.

Two other churches were attacked hours later, one suffering minor damage while the other was undamaged.

At least one other church canceled its Friday Mass and locked its doors, fearing an attack.

"We never know what might happen because the situation is so tense," said the Rev. Father Paulino Miranda of the Church of Divine Mercy in Shah Alam, the capital of Selangor state.

___

Associated Press writers Eileen Ng, Julia Zappei and Sean Yoong contributed to this report.

Credits to Yahoo! News.

Religious much?

It's a really sensitive issue in Malaysia, when you speak of religion. Despite Malaysia being a country where there is "freedom of religion", I need not deter about the truth in that description.

I think you can see with your own eyes very well, what is happening in the society today.. What have some "religious" Muslims succumbed to? Burning churches?

First of all, I would like to ask..

WHY ARE YOU SO ANGRY BECAUSE "THE WORD" IS USED IN A CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER?

I do not see why one word could cause such a mighty fuss about. If your God is as great as you say, then why are you so insecure and against the use of "THE WORD" among the Christian society?

I find that it is rather a nuisance.

There's never a reason for violence, not for anyone.

I believe that if the dictionary has translated God into "THE WORD", I do not think it is such a big deal. I certainly do not think it should have been translated that way, but I think that burning down a church is a very serious offence, for such detest.

In a way, it proves they take their religion seriously. In another aspect, it shows how insecure some people are.

I have never read the Quran before, or whatsoever, but I do think violence is not the solution. And if your faith in your God is so strong, you should not have acted in such a way that brings your religion to shame. Well, there is no reason or explanation why such attacks had occurred, unless of course your own holy book commands you to behave as such.

I will not further discuss this or say anymore, but I do think that this is a very serious, yet sensitive topic, and people could get beheaded for speaking their mind in Malaysia.

But I impose my right and my liberty. Although I am not a Catholic, I am a Pentecostal, I SHALL FIRMLY STATE THAT THERE IS NEVER A REASON FOR VIOLENCE.

God never meant for it to be that way. Maybe I do not understand the bible enough. I certainly do not understand their religion as well.

However, I believe that in order to achieve peace in Malaysia, and to fulfill the 1Malaysia propaganda, we must act properly and not go beyond the limits that will lead to our own self destruction. I do not wish to see Malaysia crumble before my own eyes, and unless you are a prodigal citizen, I'm sure none of you want to see Malaysia die. Except Singaporeans, maybe.

That's all I have to say, and there is need of more prayer for the nation. And the harvest is ripe. What we lack are laborers.

Let us all unite in Christ and go out into the world to save the rest of mankind that have not known the gospel of Jesus Christ.

P.S.: This is a sensitive issue. No offense meant to any Muslims. It's a point of view. Take note.

And thanks Hon for telling me how to use blockquote XD