“Allah” Ruling Causes Unrest in Malaysia
January 12th, 2010Source: www.nytimes.com
BANGKOK, THAILAND, January 11, 2010: An uproar among Muslims in Malaysia over the use of the word Allah by Christians spread over the weekend with the firebombing and vandalizing of several churches, increasing tensions at a time of political turbulence. The attacks, unlike anything Malaysia has experienced before, have shaken the country, where many Muslims are angry over a Dec. 31 court ruling that overturned a government ban on the use of the word Allah to denote the Christian God.Though that usage is common in many countries, where Arabic- and Malay-language Bibles describe Jesus as the “son of Allah,” many Muslims here insist that the word belongs exclusively to them and say that its use by other faiths could confuse Muslim worshipers.
The tensions are shaking a multiethnic, multiracial state that has tried to maintain harmony among its citizens. Analysts say this is the first outright confrontation between Muslims and Christians.
