Confused
Perhaps being fortunate enough to claim existence to life in Malaysia allows me the space to be constantly be puzzled over the religious authorities claims upon a language. Sampai orang nak sembahyang dalam bahasa sendiri pun boleh jadi masalah. Why on earth does the word 'Allah', which essentially means God, and is 'God' to so many other Christians in the rest of the world who speak languages which refers to God as 'Allah', so prohibited in this country?
And besides, there are so many other things for us to bother and worry about. Like college undergraduates stupid enough to consult mediums for quick fix remedies to 'bad luck' and ending up contracting STDs – oh wait, not your problem right? Because these people are pagan worshippers and have nothing to do with you? But apparently, some peace-loving, God loving person from another country who happens to call her God Allah as well, trespasses upon your precious territory?
I'm sorry but it's hard for me to understand why such a sovereign and almighty God would need gatekeepers to keep people in check. I suppose human beings just love being superior to other people, including God. At least, my understanding of God is that, He wouldn't be such a narrow minded bigot. Loving and Forgiving, yup, that's who God is to me. I kind of believe even your Allah would be loving and forgiving!
Interesting read here: Allah belongs to the Muslims, Christians, Jews or Sikhs?
December 2nd, 2009 at 4:33 pm
all these bickering, yet irony abounds. God of Abraham, not allowed to be called the same name because we each believed a different prophet.
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:24 pm
And if you think it’s merely because the messengers were different people from different race and culture, I’d suggest you leave the debate to the adults. (I’m secretly hoping that you’re _not_ ill-informed/uninformed about this issue!)
December 3rd, 2009 at 1:48 am
oh my, you’re a quick one to jump to the gun there ‘adult’.
December 3rd, 2009 at 11:00 am
hormones pulsing again?
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Please don’t say I’m right. (And also, you kinda proved my point. And not to mention you don’t read well)
January 15th, 2010 at 4:44 am
The problem with Muslim’s seeking control of the word Allah, has more to do with having those they consider infidels, (a Christian like me for example) to bend to thier will.
Many in islam consider all other religions inferior, or not real religions at all. Therefore they are convince of being within thier right to control the use of language.
Many in islam are using western laws in a perverted fashion to obtain rights over non-Christians. Limits on freedom of speeach is one example.
Islam is a political religion; the idea of a separation of Mosque and state is unheard of in the Muslim world. Islam has a doctrine of warfare, Jihad, which is fought in order to establish Islamic (“Sharia”) Law, which is, by nature, totalitarian.
Sharia Law calls for, among other things: the dehumanization of women; the flogging/stoning/killing of adulterers; and the killing of homosexuals, apostates and critics of Islam. All of this is part of orthodox Islam, not some “extremist” form of it.
If jihadists were actually “perverting a great religion”, Muslims would have been able to discredit them on Islamic grounds and they would have done so by now. The reason they can’t is because jihadists are acting according to the words of Allah, the Muslim God.
I have been criticized for saying that islam is not the religion of peace. Indeed some in islam take pleasure in poking fun at those of us in the west for doing so much to save and preserve life. The United States for example because of the use of precision guided weapons can target individual buildings instead of having to level an entire city as occured in WW II.
The U.S.A. is accused of killing innocent women and children in such attacks. However radical jihadist routinely use women and children as human shields.
I am not wise enough to have a solution to this problem in Malaysia.
I will pray for you and your country that peace previals.
David
U.S.A.
There are only 2 reasons everyone is not a christian: 1) They do
not know a Christian or… 2) They do.
— Author Unknown