Voices of Discord from near and far

The 'Allah' hearing by the Court of Appeal is over.  Judgment has been delivered and instead of life returning to normal, wave after wave of criticisms on the verdict continue unabated in the court of public opinion both local as well as international.  The heat must have so great that BN leaders like Nancy Shukri and Joseph Kurup have to go into damage control mode saying that the court's decision is only confined to The Herald and not a blanket application affecting the Christian community as a whole.  Many people think otherwise.  Now the latest to join in the damage control with the same reasoning, the Malaysian Muslim Lawyers Association.

In the meantime, WHERE IS THE PRIME MINISTER?  His elegant silence is undoubtedly deafening.  What is even more amazing is that there is not even a squeak from any of the Christian BN leaders.  Have they been told to toe the line?

However, my posting today is to highlight the people who believe that our judges have erred and the decisions made were flawed.

Syahredzan Johan, a lawyer, "Stop being judges if you can't uphold the constitution. Judges need only to apply the law, but in Malaysia they have other extraneous duties to the people (and) to the politicians "  Read full news article here.

Zaid Ibrahim, ""Now we have Muslim judges who are experts in Christian religion and theology. They must have spent sometime in the Vatican".

The National [Emirati editorial], UAE, "Allah is not exclusive to Islam."

The BBC, "Christians not surprised at Allah ban, it was UMNO trying to gain favour." Read full  news article here.

Dr Abdul Aziz Bari, constitutional lawyer, "Wan Junaidi ignorant of law of Allah decision."  Read full news article here.

Dr Faizal Hazis, UNIMAS, "The decision was unIslamic and portrayed Malaysia as stupid." Read full news article here.

Iranian-American religious scholar Dr Reza Aslan also weighed in on the controversial court verdict, pointing out the folly that it attaches to Malaysia in the eyes of the world. “How stupid has Malaysia just become? This stupid: Malaysian court bans use of ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims,” Reza tweeted early this morning, referencing an Al-Jazeera news report on the court case. “In honor of Malaysia banning the word Allah by non-Muslims I suggest US ban the word ‘twerking’ by anyone over age of 17. Your suggestions?” mocked the religious scholar and author of two books on Islam and one on Christianity. Aslan, has a PhD in the sociology of religions.

Dr Reza Aslan, is  an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside, a Research Associate at the University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy, and a contributing editor for The Daily Beast. His books include the international bestseller No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, which has been translated into 13 languages, and Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, which offers an interpretation of the life and mission of the historical Jesus.

Mohamad Hanipa Maidin, PAS MP for Sepang, "Is Allah issue interpreting the Constitution or a will?"  Read full news article here.

Nesrine Malik, a Sudanese-born writer based in London, "Allah ban is about subordination, not theology."  Read full news article here.

Endy M Bayuni, Editor of The Jakarta Post, "Those who claim exclusivity to God undermine their own faith, and inadvertently or not, preach polytheism."  Read full news article here.

Dr Asri Zainul Abidin, former Mufti of Perlis, "What about Christian Arabs who come to Malaysia? Will they be forced to stop themselves from saying ‘masya Allah’ (God has willed it) and instead, replace it with ‘masya God’?” Read full news article here.

The list is not exhaustive, but this is just a sample of the voices of discord, loud and clear, made by both Muslims and non-Muslims alike to express their anger, frustrations and disbelief at the way our leaders behave in the handling religious matters.

"If God Is For Us, Who Can Be Against Us?" [Romans 8:31]