If I were to ask you if you thought it possible for a court of law to ban a newspaper from using the name of God, what would your answer be?
The fact is, a week or so ago an Indonesian court banned a Christian newspaper from using the term Allah, which is the name of god both Muslims and Christians use all over the world. This law reversed an earlier law stating that the newspaper could use it under free speech legislation.
The court's excuse? Justice Mohamed Apandi stated, "Our common finding that the use of Allah is not an integral part of the Christian faith, so we find no justification for why they insist on using the name or word in their publication." He also went onto explain that the three-member appellate court panel had decided that allowing non-Muslims to use the word would 'cause confusion and could jeopardize public safety'.
Seriously?
Arab Christians use Allah, and various versions, as their terminology for God. In early gospels the word Allah is repeatedly used. For a lot of Christians, Allah is just as much a name for god as it for any Muslim. For some, it's the only name they know. The editor of the Christian newspaper Fr. Lawrence Andrew stated he was "disappointed and dismayed" at the courts decision. I feel the same way. Frankly, it's cringe-worthy.
In my opinion, putting this law into place will cause more 'public safety' issues that if it wasn't implemented in the first place. The law will cause for strains to form in the relationships between Christians and Muslim groups. These two religions have a lot in common, and yet they have some of the most controversial history. Why? Because people focus on the differences, and like this new law is doing, keep driving the knife in deeper.
How can you ban the use for God's name in the first place? It's not like you can copyright it.
So basically, I think this law is utterly, absolutely idiotic. And that word effectively wraps things up.
The fact is, a week or so ago an Indonesian court banned a Christian newspaper from using the term Allah, which is the name of god both Muslims and Christians use all over the world. This law reversed an earlier law stating that the newspaper could use it under free speech legislation.
The court's excuse? Justice Mohamed Apandi stated, "Our common finding that the use of Allah is not an integral part of the Christian faith, so we find no justification for why they insist on using the name or word in their publication." He also went onto explain that the three-member appellate court panel had decided that allowing non-Muslims to use the word would 'cause confusion and could jeopardize public safety'.
Seriously?
Arab Christians use Allah, and various versions, as their terminology for God. In early gospels the word Allah is repeatedly used. For a lot of Christians, Allah is just as much a name for god as it for any Muslim. For some, it's the only name they know. The editor of the Christian newspaper Fr. Lawrence Andrew stated he was "disappointed and dismayed" at the courts decision. I feel the same way. Frankly, it's cringe-worthy.
In my opinion, putting this law into place will cause more 'public safety' issues that if it wasn't implemented in the first place. The law will cause for strains to form in the relationships between Christians and Muslim groups. These two religions have a lot in common, and yet they have some of the most controversial history. Why? Because people focus on the differences, and like this new law is doing, keep driving the knife in deeper.
How can you ban the use for God's name in the first place? It's not like you can copyright it.
So basically, I think this law is utterly, absolutely idiotic. And that word effectively wraps things up.
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