Arabic-speaking Christians generally use the word “Allah” for God — with the notable exception of the Copts. But they are not referring, of course, to the God of the Qur’an, but to the God of the Bible. And one notable dhimmi bishop in the West has called for Christians to use the word “Allah” for God in order to show good will toward Muslims.
If both groups were in Malaysia, however, it would be a different story. Muslim spokesmen in the West endlessly tell us that Muslims, Jews, and Christians all worship the same God — in accord with Qur’an 29:46. And when I and others point out that the Muslim view of God is quite different from the view of God of Jews and Christians, and that it is therefore hard to sustain a case that all worship the same God, we’re vilified and dismissed. But this decision in Malaysia indicates that it is not we who have originated such ideas; they’re held by many Muslims as well.
From The Associated Press (thanks to all who sent this in):
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: A Catholic weekly newspaper in Malaysia has been told to drop the use of the word “Allah” in its Malay language section if it wants to renew its publishing permit, a senior government official said Friday.
The Herald, the organ of Malaysia’s Catholic Church, has translated the word God as “Allah” but it is erroneous because Allah refers to the Muslim God, said Che Din Yusoff, a senior official at the Internal Security Ministry’s publications control unit.
“Christians cannot use the word Allah. It is only applicable to Muslims. Allah is only for the Muslim god. This is a design to confuse the Muslim people,” Che Din told The Associated Press.
The weekly should instead, use the word “Tuhan” which is the general term for God, he said.