Wrong Tree

The recent hullabaloo over the use of the word 'Allah' has quite unexpectedly attracted the attention of the MCA Political Education Bureau which is now seen as a dog barking up the wrong tree. The bureau should be aware that it must never involve itself in religious controversies, instead, it should just continue to stick strictly to political and social issues. Certain religious quarters have the habit of reformulating original religious concepts or even indulge in very controversial behaviour and practices and therefore political societies and organisations must steer clear of all matters relating directly to religion. You cannot serve two masters; no man can really proclaim that he owes allegiance to two different sides in the same instance. You either stick to religion only or politics only. Politics is seldom clean but always dirty. Religion is a desired focus on perfection and nothing less. Just so very much like electricity and water, the two are laid on different paths and should not mix. This is even more so, considering that nowadays, many people who profess to be more of the religious kind compared to all the others in our society have started to generate a few controversial issues in an open manner or have started to show fondness for some very controversial stance in certain matters in which they actually have little or no right to impose their beliefs on others, i.e. the silent majority. The word 'Allah' refers to the Islamic supreme being and has nothing to do with the Christian supreme being, whose name is 'Jehovah', in case people have become overly fascinated by the subject of names. There is absolutely nothing, truly nothing, that can prove at all that Allah and Jehovah are the one and same entity, thus it is really not right for some organisation or assembly or society to insist that Allah and Jehovah be regarded in the very same light by all of us and evem employ legal means to impose their view on all of society. Political parties and personalities should be careful and not fall into such traps. No group has the right to impose their religious interpretations on others. Can such a group as the Herald use the court to impose their stand that Allah and Jehovah are completely interchangeable on the rest of the country ? Certainly not. The supreme being in the Koran speaks ( metaphorically ) in a voice that is clearly different from the voice ( again, metaphorically ) that speaks in the Bible, therefore we cannot in any way at all claim that the two are the same. Two different voices indicate to us that the two names are different, too. We have no means or even the right to judge which of the two is that ultimate one we should obey, the answer can only be known only and only when we have entered the hereafter. Could two voices mean that one is the greater being and the other the lesser being ? We don't know at all either. Historically, the West has been largely responsible for the religious mess that afflicts much of the world today. People in religious robes in the West had no hesitation to take on dual roles, preaching about fire and brimstone while at the same time, collecting taxes and going about oppressing the poor and conspiring in political intrigues. Even

worse they hardly believed or obeyed what they preached, instead, they much preferred to rewrite the religious tenets themselves. Statues and exalted status for humans and fanciful apparel and other nonsense were so very happily legitimised as if they had actually gotten the personal permission from the supreme being himself. This kind of approach is still pursued today, with people in religious robes fully comfortable while parading or marching in the streets and public places carrying political buntings and throwing rock missiles, wielding iron rods and flaming torches to justify their right to use violence as a means to channel their earthly emotions like anger and hatred against others who might be a little different in appearance. The knowledge that video cameras are a potent propaganda weapon is not lost on them despite the fact that their religious teachings fully discouraged the love of mundane desires or temptations or passions. Politics and religion do not mix, and you have to choose which path you prefer to tread and the MCA Political Education Bureau and other similar bodies must be careful not to fall into a hole you might have dug for yourself. Leave religious contentions to the religious adherents who are truly committed to religion full-time and likewise religious heads should refrain from using politics or the court to impose their will on others. The Western hypocrites would eagerly wish for societies and even whole nations get torn apart by religious-political fissures and, sadly, many in our midst are ever so ready to be of full service to them. The West has never been sincere regarding religion, and they have been known to be able to pray and slay at the same time wherever they went. Politics and religion are totally irreconcilable and we must always remember it. One is dirty and slimy and the other is clean and pure.