Signature Campaign on the word “Allah”

Ronnie Klassen, the initiator of the signature campaign to lift the ban on the use of the word “Allah” by Christians in the country was ridiculed by Tan Sri Bernard G. Dompok, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Monday as ”redundant and it was organised by the opposition”.

As a concerned Catholic, I am all in favour of this campaign to compliment and supplement the efforts by Dompok, the only Catholic Federal Minister and who has all this while defended this issue, publicly and privately.

Since Dompok is alone in this crusade, the signature campaign should be seen as helping him out on this issue. If he is left alone without any support in the form of signature campaign which, in this case Ronnie did the right thing, Dompok would be seen by the Federal Government as having no support from the Christian community.

Even non-Christians are supporting this crusade, but there is nothing much they can do to support the lonely Dompok in his defence against the usage of the word “Allah” in Christian publications, (including the use of the other Islamic words), except by launching the signature campaign to express the views of those affected and concerned citizens.

I applaud the unselfish effort by  Ronnie Klassen and I have supported him in this campaign because this is the only way that I can express my support – by stamping my signature of support! I urge all concerned Christians not only to pray for a favourable outcome of Federal Court decision but also to go to Klassen’s PetitionOnLine to give their ‘voice’ support. Your signature is your voice.

 We should not be a bystander on this issue irrespective of our political inclination. We cannot wait for the Federal court to decide on this issue, or it would then be too late to reverse the court’s decision. (You know what I mean).  

The Home Ministry can decide NOW, if they so desire, to lift the ban before the Federal Court sits. If the outcome of the court is in favour of lifting the ban, we will thank the Government for it. But if the court decides otherwise, then it would be too late for our Christian leaders, both in the State and Federal levels, to cry over spelt milk.

Of course, an appeal against the court’s decision can be made, but this course of action should not arise in the first instance. And if such decision is upheld by the Court of Appeal, there would be “more spelt milk to be cried over” as we have not done what we are supposed to do in defending the issue on the onset.

Hence, the signature campaign is extremely relevant here (and is not redundant as Dompok puts it) so that, at least, the Home Ministry, or the Prime Minister himself, could assess our concern and sentiments on the ban of the word “Allah” in Christian publications.