Malaysian Court Restricts Use of ‘Allah’ to Muslims / NYTimes [View all]

[edhopper]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/world/asia/malaysian-court-restricts-use-of-allah-to-muslims.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&ref=world&adxnnlx=1381860728-526ZODKBlgPMsu2X10E8Hg

A Malaysian court ruled on Monday that non-Muslims may not use the word “Allah” to refer to God, the latest decision in a long dispute that has polarized the multicultural country.

The decision, by a panel of three judges, was intended to protect Islam, the country’s official religion, from conversions.

“It is my judgment that the most possible and probable threat to Islam, in the context of this country, is the propagation of other religions to the followers of Islam,” the chief judge, Mohamed Apandi Ali, said in the decision, according to the news Web site Malaysiakini.

I hope we can agree this is a case where religion is a force of suppression and harm.

This isn't an middle eastern Theocracy, it is one of the "moderate" Islamic countries.

Very troubling.