Welcome Guest! You are here: Home » International
Malaysians want Vatican envoy expelled from country
Saturday July 20, 2013 10:49 PM, IINA

Several Islamic groups on Friday demanded the recall of the Vatican's first envoy to Malaysia, describing him as an "enemy of the state" after he supported the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Vatican's mission in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Muslim-majority Malaysia, after prayers on Friday, urging the government to expel Archbishop Joseph Marino.

Marino, who arrived in Kuala Lumpur less than six months ago, recently elicited a rebuke from the government after he waded into a religious row over the right to translate "God" to "Allah" in Malay-language Bibles and other literature.

He had described arguments supporting the move put forward by the Catholic Church in an ongoing court battle with the government over the issue, as "logical and acceptable."

He was on Tuesday summoned to the foreign ministry over his remarks, and has since apologized. It was not enough for some Muslim organizations in the country, however.

"Joseph Marino is an enemy of the state. His actions have strained race relations in the country," said Ibrahim Ali, president of right-wing group Perkasa. Ibrahim has previously drawn controversy by calling for the burning of the Bible.

"Marino must leave Malaysia," said Hasan Ali, the head of Islamic group JATI, who urged the government to close the mission and not to accept any envoy from the Vatican.

The government has argued that the word "Allah" should only be used by Muslims, as it fears using the word in Malay-language Bibles is an attempt to confuse and proselytize.

Malaysia has more than 2.5 million Christians in a population of 28 million, of which about 60 percent are Muslim.




Share this page
 Comments
Note: By posting your comments here you agree to the terms and conditions of www.ummid.com
comments powered by Disqus
Advertisement
| Quick links
About ummid.com
Contact us
Feedback
Subscribe to: RSS » Facebook » Twitter » Newsletter
Ummid.com: Disclaimer | Terms of Use | Advertise with us | Link Exchange
Ummid.com is part of the Awaz Multimedia & Publications providing World News, News Analysis and Feature Articles on Education, Health. Politics, Technology, Sports, Entertainment, Industry etc. The articles or the views displayed on this website are for public information and in no way describe the editorial views. The users are entitled to use this site subject to the terms and conditions mentioned.
© 2012 Awaz Multimedia & Publications. All rights reserved.