A Malaysian court has ruled that non-Muslims cannot use the word Allah to refer to God, even in their own faiths, overturning a 2009 lower court ruling.

The appeals court said the term Allah must be exclusive to Islam or it could cause public disorder.

People of all faiths use the word Allah in Malay to refer to their Gods.

Christians argue they have used the word, which entered Malay from Arabic, to refer to their God for centuries and that the ruling violates their rights.

One Malaysian Christian woman said the ruling would affect the community greatly.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24516181

The god of Abraham is the same god in Islam and Christianity so the judgement is not based on reason or logic but just pandering.

As both Christianity and Islam are developments of Judaism, the basic concept of the monotheism and the object of adoration are the same in all three religions.

I could understand the powers that be being upset if some Dayak headhunter, worshipping his local tree or rock, labelled such item 'Allah' but surely the godhead in the three Abrahamic religions is the same and could be addressed in the local name for Him.

As both Christianity and Islam are developments of Judaism, the basic concept of the monotheism and the object of adoration are the same in all three religions.

I could understand the powers that be being upset if some Dayak headhunter, worshipping his local tree or rock, labelled such item 'Allah' but surely the godhead in the three Abrahamic religions is the same and could be addressed in the local name for Him.

The whole issue is centred around this rather than animism though a perfectly reasonable argument can be put forward that they are all facets of the same untruth. 1+1 is not equal to 3 in exactly the same way that 1+1 is not equal to 4.

The Malaysian government has refused to release 10,000 Bibles which it seized because they contained the word Allah to refer to God.

The government, which is dominated by Muslim Malays, claims that the word Allah is Islamic and that its use in Bibles could upset Muslims.

Like I say, it is just pandering.

Malay Islamists = sorry Clowns!

I suspect the directors of Mecca Bingo will shelve any plans they may have had to open a branch in Malaysia.

I suspect the directors of Mecca Bingo will shelve any plans they may have had to open a branch in Malaysia.

Not necessarily given that Mecca Cola is now sold in 64 countries with Malaysia in the top 5 markets. The founder of Mecca Cola is now considering a Mecca Burger to take on the fast "food " majors.

And if bingo is not played for money it does not rate as gambling, just a game. Problem solved....next?

It looks like while Malaysia, The Maldives and Indonesia are going backwards Egypt has taken a giant leap forward.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/1/84992/Egypt/Egypts-new-constitution-to-guarantee-absolute-reli.aspx

Funnily enough the clown in the Oval office who backed the previous incumbents to the hilt has cut foreign aid to Egypt. I hope the Egyptians go further and ratify the universal declaration of human rights, whilst the aforementioned buffoon attempts to engineer regime change in Syria, the only other Muslim Country in the region that tolerated other religions.

It looks like while Malaysia, The Maldives and Indonesia are going backwards Egypt has taken a giant leap forward.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/1/84992/Egypt/Egypts-new-constitution-to-guarantee-absolute-reli.aspx

From the link

Salmawy noted that most committee members agree that Islam grants absolute freedom for all religions, citing the Prophet Mohamed who said "We are not entitled to open the hearts of others to know what their beliefs are." As such, the committee argues that the new constitution must give all citizens the right to practice religion in an absolute sense.

As I remember, opening the hearts of others has nothing whatsoever to do with freedom of belief but a warning not to look into the hearts of the Kuffar least your own heart be poisoned. The reason you don't see many countries in the region allow other faiths to practice is quite simply because the Qur'an forbids it.

Sadly, Islamists including the Taliban are quite correct in their assertions.

To get back on topic. Allah is an Arabic word and since the Malay people do not use Arabic, they too should be banned from using it.

Allah is an Arabic word and since the Malay people do not use Arabic, they too should be banned from using it.

It looks like while Malaysia, The Maldives and Indonesia are going backwards Egypt has taken a giant leap forward.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/1/84992/Egypt/Egypts-new-constitution-to-guarantee-absolute-reli.aspx

From the link

Salmawy noted that most committee members agree that Islam grants absolute freedom for all religions, citing the Prophet Mohamed who said "We are not entitled to open the hearts of others to know what their beliefs are." As such, the committee argues that the new constitution must give all citizens the right to practice religion in an absolute sense.

As I remember, opening the hearts of others has nothing whatsoever to do with freedom of belief but a warning not to look into the hearts of the Kuffar least your own heart be poisoned. The reason you don't see many countries in the region allow other faiths to practice is quite simply because the Qur'an forbids it.

Sadly, Islamists including the Taliban are quite correct in their assertions.

To get back on topic. Allah is an Arabic word and since the Malay people do not use Arabic, they too should be banned from using it.

Jesus Christ is a Greek derivation of Jewish origin. Should that mean that non-Hebrew/Greek speakers be banned from using it?

Yep