Three weeks after the Herald, a Catholic newspaper, published on its front page the Bersih's protests on November 11, 2007, it's license was revoked. The reason given was that the newspaper referred to "Allah" as the god that they have been worshiping, for the Melayu speaking Catholics, that is. Curiously, the newspaper has been publishing that since inception and history would reveal that Malay Bibles have been using the name of Allah since the 16th century and Christian Arabs such as Syrian Catholics and Coptic Christians have been referring to the Almighty as Allah.
In fact, the polytheists in the days of the muslims' Prophet used to worship Allah as one of their many gods. When the muslims' Prophet was preaching to the Meccan polytheists, they replied:
Ishaq:162 “Abu Jahl met the Apostle and said, ‘By Allah, Muhammad, you will either stop cursing our gods or we will curse the god you serve.’ So the Qur’an verse was revealed, ‘Do not insult those [gods] to whom they pray lest they curse God wrongfully through lack of knowledge.’ [Qur’an 6:108] I have been told that the Apostle then refrained from cursing their gods, and began to call them to Allah.”
The Arab polytheists swore in the name of Allah.
There are ample records in historical books that revealed that the pre-Islamic Arab polytheists do refer to one of their gods as Allah. Of course, it is no doubt that it is NOT the same deity as the muslims worship but the name Allah was the same.
The Arab polytheists were trying to bribe the muslims' Prophet to prevent him from cursing their gods and seeked a compromise.
Tabari VI:106 “The Quraysh promised Muhammad that they would give him so much wealth that he would become the richest man in Mecca, they would give him as many wives as he wanted, and they would submit to his commands .”
Tabari VI:107 “‘If you will do so, we offer you something which will be to your advantage and to ours.’” “‘What is it,’ he asked. They said, ‘If you will worship our gods, Al-Lat and Al-Uzza, for a year, we shall worship your god for a year.”
To the Arab polytheists, Al-Lat and Al-Uzza were the daughters of Allah.
Sound confusing? It should be. Too many parties claiming the use of Allah and it does not become exclusive.
I would vote that the name Allah be exclusively used by muslims only since it is clear that the deity the Arab polytheists worshipped is not the same deity the muslims worship. It is also no doubt that the teachings of Christ are world apart from the teachings for the muslims' Prophet Muhammed. Let there be no confusion.
However, who should have exclusive right to Allah? The muslims today may be using that name
most commonly. However, they are the last ones to do so. Arab polytheists and Christians have been using that name no less than 700 years before the muslims. Arab polytheists have all been destroyed. However, some Christains do use that name.
But then, let's politicise the issue, won't we?
