(Pic by Nikolai Mamluke / Dreamstime) THE argument that Malaysians are being asked to accept over the “Allah” issue sounds like this: “Muslims are the majority in this country. In a democracy, the majority’s wishes should be prioritised. Christians may have the right to use the word ‘Allah’, but why do it when it provokes [...]

THE attacks on Malaysian churches were a shocking way to start 2010. The unprecedented violence made headlines internationally as the foreign media pulled apart Malaysia’s carefully constructed image as a moderate Muslim nation. Following the attacks, there have been calls for Christians to drop their claim to refer to God as “Allah” for the sake [...]

*Quote by Dr Mohd Farid Mohd Shahran taken from “Allah” can be discussed calmly, The Nut Graph, 12 Jan 2010  The Nut Graph needs your support Please take our five-minute reader survey

PETALING JAYA, 13 Jan 2010: Even though the government banned the use of “Allah” by non-Muslims in 1986, the churches refrained from court action for more than 20 years because of assurances from two prime ministers. ShastriCouncil of Churches of Malaysia general secretary Rev Dr Hermen Shastri told The Nut Graph that Christian leaders were [...]

(Corrected at 4:38pm, 12 Jan 2010) KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Jan 2010: Malaysians are mature enough to openly discuss issues without resorting to violence, said the organiser of an 11 Jan 2010 public forum on the “Allah” issue. Despite being told by police to cancel last night’s forum following the spate of attacks on churches, the [...]

(Pic by Adrian Van Leen / sxc.hu) PREDICTABLE. This best sums up the reactions by some Muslim groups and the government to the High Court’s 31 Dec 2009 decision to lift the ban on the use of “Allah” by Catholic paper Herald. Malaysians were probably able to anticipate the newspaper headlines and ensuing comments, given [...]