http://www.latimes. com/news/ nationworld/ world/la- fg-briefs30- 2009oct30, 0,7232083. story
Bibles with ‘Allah’ are confiscated
Malaysian authorities have confiscated more than 15,000 Bibles because they referred to “God” as “Allah,” a translation that has been banned in this Muslim-majority country, Christian church officials said.
The Rev. Hermen Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia, said authorities seized a consignment of 10,000 copies sent from Jakarta, Indonesia, to Kuching, in Sarawak state, on Sept. 11 because the Indonesian-language Bibles contained the word “Allah.”
An additional 5,100 Bibles, also imported from Indonesia, were seized in March, said an official from the Bible Society of Malaysia.
A Home Ministry official said he was not aware of the seizures.
Church officials say “Allah” is not exclusive to Islam but is an Arabic word that predates Islam.
Filed under: God, batak, catholic church, christian, christianity, conflict, culture, editorial, education, freedom, fundamentalism, government, governments, human right, humanity, indonesia, integrity, islam, katolik, kitab suci, law, learning, malaysia, multiculturalism, news, pluralism, politics, religion, student | Tagged: agama, catholic, catholic church, democracy, human rights, islam, moslem, Muslim, OPINION, religion
