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Allah versus God in Malaysia (see video)
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In today’s culture, the name Allah is used in reference to God by many Christians, Jews and Muslims across the world, however, recent reports are stating that Malaysian Christians are banned from using the name Allah for their God. Over the past few years the ban was extended from verbal use to written use of the word by Christians and especially for use in the Bible.
The word Allah is the standard Arabic word for God. It is actually a pre-Islamic name referring to The God and its’ use dates back before the time of Mohammad. Allah was a common name for many male idols or god-like figures and Allat was a common female name used similarly. Today, Allah is used by Muslims in reference to whom they believe is The God of Islam and is also used by Jews and Christians in the same manner. With the name Allah dating back to pre-Islamic centuries, the name holds significance for many religions.
CBN News and other News sources are reporting that over 15,000 Bibles that use the name Allah in them have been confiscated by Malaysian authorities so far this year. Malaysian authorities forbid the use of the name Allah by Christians because they fear it will upset or even confuse the Muslim population there.
Some Christian sources within the territory have speculated that Muslims might think the Malaysian government is suggesting that their Christian God is on the same level as their Muslim God if they allow Christians to use the term Allah. Malaysia, previously celebrated for its’ multi-ethnic and open Muslim culture is currently made up of approximately 60 percent Muslim with over 30 percent of the country practicing Christianity, Buddhism and other faiths.
The Roman Catholic Church has decided to take the issue up via legal measures, pressing the Malaysian government to change its’ policy. Recent shipments from Indonesia, containing thousands of Bibles, have been blocked and confiscated by Malaysian authorities, who are standing on their decision to block entry of all Bibles using the word Allah in them.
For Christians everywhere, there are many names we can call The Father besides God or Allah:
Father, our heavenly Father
Emmanuel, God with us
Elohim, or Mighty
El-Shaddi, meaning God Almighty
El-Elyon, meaning God most high
M’Kaddish, the Lord who sanctifies
Shammah, the Lord is present
Jehovah, the Lord or The One Who Is
Jehovah-Raphe, the God who heals
As Christians we are blessed to communicate with God via prayer and meditation so please be in prayer for those who are being denied the ability to read God’s Word in their own language…and be thankful that, at least as of the writing of this article, those who live in the United States are free to read their Bibles, call God by any name they wish and worship freely.
For more information:
Islamtoday.com CBSNews.com CBN News
Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin
CBN News Clip on Malaysia
Photo courtesy of Bible Center Online Bible Studies
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