Malaysia: ‘Allah’ Just for Muslims

We all know about the HERALD being at risk of not having it's licence renewed due to this issue - you can read a quick summary in the New York Times article HERE

Notice at the end of the article:
"Abdullah Mohamad Zin, the government minister for Islamic affairs, clarified that the restriction on Allah was still in place. “The use of the word Allah by non-Muslims may arouse sensitivity and create confusion among Muslims in the country,” the newspaper The Star quoted him as saying."

Effectively, the renewal of The Herald's licence in Dec2007 was just a concession - probably because of the coming elections. It's no secret that the issue was brought up to the PM (Badawi) by a Christian Govenment Minister. If the Barisan National wins a 2/3 majority, I would NOT be surprised if the 'Allah' issue eventually crops up again, and (contrary to how the rest of the Islamic world uses the word), "Allah" in Malaysia becomes the property of Islamic organisations.

A vote for BN will determine the freedom of religion of your children. Vote wisely on Mar 08 2008.

Cross reference - click here to read an interesting blog article on 'ALLAH'.