Malaysia's Najib says Christians in Borneo can use "Allah"

October 23, 2013

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KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia – Prime Minister Najib Razak said Monday (October 21st) Christians in Sabah and Sarawak can continue to use the term "Allah" during prayers, local media reported.

Media surround Islamic protesters against Christians' use of the word "Allah" outside the Vatican's embassy in Kuala Lumpur on July 19th. The federal government announced Monday (October 21st) that Christians in Sabah and Sarawak can continue to use the term. [Mohammad Rasfan/AFP]

He said the government will honour the 10-point solution made in 2011 and that the recent Court of Appeals decision to uphold a ban on Catholic newspaper The Herald using the term does not impact the two states.

Najib, addressing delegates at the 18th Congress of Parti Bersatu Sabah, urged groups not to politicise the topic. "They will be playing with fire that can eventually burn them," he said, according to The Star.

"To Sabahans, let there be no one who should feel oppressed as the practice of religions will remain as before," he added, according to Free Malaysia Today.

Najib stressed the importance of religious and cultural respect.

"There is always a solution to any problem in ensuring peace and harmony through good relations between all races and religious beliefs," The Star quoted him as saying. "Muslims should not hurt the feelings of non-Muslims and non-Muslims should not hurt the feelings of Muslims."

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- abex
  
  February 10, 2014 @ 04:02:57PM
- Islam is a blessing for all mankind, unproven!
- Helena
  
  October 23, 2013 @ 06:10:37AM
- There is only one God, known by many names in various languages. It is truly strange that people would prohibit others from calling God by a certain name. What right do these detractors have? How would they know that this would offend God? God is not evil, not biased; He loves all of creation. In any case, followers of the Abrahamic monotheism believe that there is but one God - the God of Abraham. If Malaysian Muslims feel that only their God, and no other, is called Allah - is there another God? Is not the Abrahamic God the God of the Jews, Christians, and then adopted by the Muslims? The God of Abraham was first known to older religions. No one can claim God as belonging exclusively to any one flock.