KUALA LUMPUR - Surat kabar Katolik Roma di Malaysia The Herald memenangkan hak menggunakan kata "Allah" dalam artikel mereka. Sidang yang diadakan kemarin (5/5) itu merupakan upaya mereka sebelum menggugat pemerintah yang melarang agama selain Islam menggunakan kata "Allah".
Menurut mereka, hal tersebut sah-sah saja. Sebab, "Allah" merupakan sinonim dari "Tuhan". Hakim Lau Bee Lan yang memimpin sidang memutuskan bahwa larangan pemerintah itu tidak pantas. Hakim pun mengizinkan media tersebut menggugat pemerintah atas larangan itu di pengadilan.
Sidang tersebut merupakan buntut dari pernyataan pemerintah yang melarang media itu menggunakan kata "Allah" dalam edisi bahasa Melayu mereka. Menurut pemerintah, kata tersebut hanya layak digunakan orang Islam.
Pemerintah mengeluarkan larangan tersebut untuk mencegah timbulnya kebingungan pada umat muslim. Bahkan, pemerintah mengancam akan mencabut izin terbit media yang membangkang.
The Herald menyatakan bahwa kata itu bukan semata hak eksklusif bagi muslim. Saat ini sirkulasi media tersebut mencapai 850 ribu. Surat kabar itu menampilkan artikel dalam empat bahasa, yakni Inggris, Mandarin, Tamil, dan Melayu. - (AFP/AP/dia/ruk)
Malaysia’s Cabinet has decided that weekly publication,
The Herald, is not allowed to use the word “Allah” in its publications.
The restrictions on the use of the word “Allah” was still enforceable and shall be upheld as decided by the Cabinet in two of its meetings – on October 18 and November 1, 2006, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdullah Mohd Zin said.
Abdullah said that the Prime Minister had instructed him to clarify the matter so that the public would not be confused.
“One of the reasons given to uphold the restriction is because that it has long been the practice of this country that the world Allah refers to God according to the Muslim faith,” he said.
It was only proper for other religions to use the word “God” and not “Allah” when referring to their God in respective beliefs, Abdullah said.
The use of the word “Allah” shall not be made a public debate that may give the impression as if there is no freedom of religion in the country, he added. The use of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims may arouse sensitivity and create confusion among Muslims in the country,” he said.
On December 31, the publication’s editor Father Lawrence Andrew said the weekly was allowed to continue printing its Bahasa
He said a representative from the Internal Security Ministry delivered a letter dated December 28 with the permit to print the newspaper and that according to him, the letter did not place any restrictions whatsoever.
The newspaper carries reports in English, Bahasa
The ministry had earlier issued directives to the publisher to cease the use of the word “Allah” in the weekly, failing which its permit would either be suspended or revoked.
*Kontributor: Mbah
(Editor: Namasamaran)
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