Cut ties with Vatican to stem 'Allah' row, says Abim

The Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) has urged Malaysia to severe diplomatic ties with the Vatican to pre-empt the speculated appointment of a more hardline bishop to defend the 'Allah' issue.

A source close to the Catholic Church had told Malaysiakini that Bishop Murphy Pakiam's (right) resignation on Dec 6 was promptly accepted by the Vatican, perhaps reflecting disappointment with Pakiam's softer stance on the Allah issue.

The editor of Catholic publication The Herald, Rev Lawrence Andrew, has however dismissed such talk.

"If a vocal and aggressive bishop is chosen (according to Vatican demands) it will spark a conflict between the parties involved (Muslims and Catholics).

"Therefore, Abim weighs seriously the direct involvement of the Vatican in the choosing Malaysia’s bishop.

"The attitude of the Vatican in this case is regretted, because it completely ignores the sensitivities of the Muslim community in this country," Abim president Amidi Abd Manan said in a statement today.
Pakiam had tendered his resignation as the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur on Dec 6 on his 75th birthday, as he reached retirement age. But some were alarmed at how fast the Vatican accepted his resignation.

Rev Lawrence Andrew however dismissed talk that Vatican would suddenly intervene in the ‘Allah’ row issue, noting that it has been on-going since the 1970s. The legal dispute over the use of the term ‘Allah’ between The Herald and the government of Malaysia, he also pointed out, was raised during Pakiam’s time as Archbishop.

In July, Jalur Tiga (Jati) president Hasan Ali, Perkasa’s Ibrahim Ali and other Muslim NGOs had also urged a review of the Vatican embassy in Malaysia. The embassy was set up in January this year, in a follow- up to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s visit to Rome in 2011 to meet the Pope.

Muslim NGOs were irked by the Holy See’s embassy after its envoy Joseph Marino was reported standing behind the local Catholic church for championing the right of Christians to use the world ‘Allah’ to refer to God. He later apologised for this remark.

‘Allah’ is used in the Bahasa Malaysia versions of the Bible, especially by Christians in Sabah and Sarawak as the mostly bumiputera congregation there worship in Bahasa Malaysia.

The Home Ministry has however banned peninsula Malaysia-based publication The Herald from using it.