Seek dialogue to resolve "Allah" controversy peacefully

I refer to the Malaysiakini report 'Allah' issue: Home Ministry gets stay order
and to the recent issue about the High Court reversing the home ministry's ban on the use of the word 'Allah' for the Catholic weekly newsletter, 'The Herald'.

Calmer heads are needed to resolve the issue about the term 'Allah' and we should not let our emotions run high as this will only cause unnecessary tensions on the religious harmony which we have long enjoyed for many centuries.

This is evident by the fact that East Malaysian Christians have been using the word 'Allah' for the past 400 years as revealed by the Herald's editor, Father Lawrence Andrew.

When we are calm, we are able to reason together in peace. The suggestion by opposition stalwart Lim Kit Siang to convene an inter-religious conference to reach an out-of-court settlement for this controvery is an excellent proposal for the government to seriously consider to maintain religious harmony in the country.

This is to avoid any protracted legal tussle in the courts which will not benefit either party in the long run.

The important issue here is not about who is right or wrong but about strengthening national unity through the concept of a '1Malaysia'. All parties need to have an avenue for inter-religious dialogue to resolve any contentious issues between Malaysians of different faiths.

If different religious groups sue each other in the courts of law, does it not mean that we are '2Malaysia' and not '1Malaysia' when it comes to religious freedom? If religious sentiments continue to be fanned by extremist groups, they will only derail any effort by the government to foster national unity through its '1Malaysia' concept.

The government should not have bowed to pressure by certain quarters in filing an appeal against the High Court's decision but should have respected the rights of all Malaysians of different religions to practice their faith without any hindrance or restrictions.

The way for the government to respect religious freedom is to form an inter-religious conference to settle this issue over the term 'Allah' out of court and reach an understanding between all parties involved without any recourse to the legal system.