By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider
Selangor opposition leader Dauk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo has said that he is now in mourning as a Muslim following the decision by the High Court to allow the Catholic church to use the term "Allah" in its weekly publication Herald.
"I am very saddened as a Muslim over the judgment in allowing the Catholic church to use the word Allah in their weekly publication. Allah is only for Muslims. In other languages God is referred to as Tuhan whereas in Islam it is Tuhan Yang Maha Esa (The one and only God). Therefore you must understand the distinction between the two," said Khir.
Khir, who is also the Sungai Besar Umno division head, stressed why other religions should not be allowed to even mention the name "Allah" as he claims it would cause “damage, chaos and confusion” among Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
"We don't want other religions to use it as it (the word Allah) refers to the one and only God. Now that the High Court has allowed the usage of the term Allah, soon any religion can apply their own reasoning to use the word Allah. Imagine if a deity were to be referred to as Allah. Surely it would create a lot of tension," explained the Umno man.
Khir criticised and questioned the judge who had made the ruling.
"I am not happy with the High Court's decision. Human beings are, at the end of the day, just human beings, no matter how fair you try to be, there is no way you can be 100 per cent impartial. And the judge who made the decision was not a Muslim, so I question the fairness in the decision," said the former Selangor Mentri Besar.
