The very thought of my cold and very dead body being snatched by overzealous people in the name of their religion and being buried under rites foreign to me is unnerving. Dead man tells no tales but should that ever happen to me, you can bet that I will turn over in my grave in protest.

Therefore to prevent my body from being confiscated by body snatchers in the name of their God and religion, I am stating the following for the benefit of my next-of-kin, the courts of law, the religious order of my chosen faith and anyone who may have an interest in the very dead body of mine and my estate.

If I were to suddenly die today, I would like to reiterate now that I have never renounced my current faith in Roman Catholicism. I have never converted to another religion, specifically Islam. I have never practiced what is required of good Muslim men. I will believe in Jesus Christ as my God and Saviour till my very last breath.

All my life, I have eaten pork and will continue to enjoy the one thousand and one ways it can be cooked. I have consumed liquor and would have continued to do so had it not been for my chronic kidney disease. Against the teachings of my chosen faith, I admit that I do gamble occasionally. I cannot help it. That is me practicing being Chinese to the very core.

So, please Mr. Body Snatcher, please leave my corpse alone. I am not of your faith, never will be. If you have records to prove it, I assure you that those are forgeries. Having my body does not guarantee that you have my soul. Let God and God alone be my judge and punish me for my sins. If I have to go to hell according to your beliefs, so be it. Whatever, it is , let my remains rest in peace. My final wish is to be sent off as a Roman Catholic. That is the least you can do for a man who can no longer speak for himself and stand up for his rights. That is called respecting the dead. Faham?

It has to come to this. We have to go to the court to decide who has the right to use the word “Allah” and who is forbidden to call God that. According to Wikipedia, the term “Allah” is used in reference to God by Arabic-speakers of the Abrahamic faiths. That includes Jews, Christians and Muslims. Who then has the authority to say that any of the Abrahamic faiths cannot address God as Allah, among the many Names of the Divine? This is not some fast food franchise that we are talking about. Can mere mortals issue edicts restricting the use of any of the Names that the Supreme Being is known as? So many questions begging answers.

The Star
Nation
Thursday December 27, 2007
MYT 9:01:50 PM

Catholic paper files writ of summons

PETALING JAYA: The publisher of Herald - The Catholic Weekly has filed a writ of summons and a statement of claim in the Kuala Lumpur High Court to seek appropriate declarations of the use of the word “Allah”.

The publisher said in a statement released Thursday that the Internal Security Ministry had issued a series of directives to the publisher to cease the use of the word “Allah” in the weekly.

The publisher also said that if they failed to do so, the publication’s permit would either be suspended or revoked.

“We have decided to have our legal position to use the word determined by the courts,” the statement said.

The weekly’s editor Reverend Father Lawrence Andrew said that the writ was filed on Dec 5.

The 13-year-old paper, which carries reports about the Catholic community in English, Malay, Tamil and Chinese, has a circulation of 12,000 for its members.

Update 2:

The Star
Nation
Sunday December 30, 2007
MYT 7:50:23 PM

Herald gets good news

By ELIZABETH LOOI

PETALING JAYA: The publisher of Herald - The Catholic Weekly newspaper, which reports on the Catholic community in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Tamil and Chinese, has had its permit renewed.

The editor, Reverend Father Lawrence Andrew, said a representative from the Internal Security Ministry delivered the letter of approval, dated Dec 28, by hand at 10am Sunday.

“We thank (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department) Tan Sri Bernard Dompok for his assistance, as well as the various news agencies and other media groups for supporting us with their wide coverage,” Father Lawrence said in a statement.

The paper has a circulation of 12,000 among the Catholic community.

When contacted, Dompok said he had brought the matter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi a few days before Christmas and Abdullah had promised to look into it.

“I think the permit is good news and the Government has given the Christian community a wonderful Christmas present.

“The community will certainly be happy to know that the Government is looking into their welfare,” said Dompok.

Update 2:

Nation
Friday January 4, 2008

Herald can’t use ‘Allah’ in its publications

By MAZWIN NIK ANIS

PUTRAJAYA: The Herald - The Catholic Weekly publication is not allowed to use the word “Allah” in its publications, the Cabinet decided.

The restrictions on the use of the word “Allah” was still enforceable and shall be upheld as decided by the Cabinet in two of its meetings – on Oct 18 and Nov 1, 2006, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Abdullah Mohd Zin said.

Abdullah, who said the Prime Minister had instructed him to clarify the matter so the public would not be confused, told a press conference on Thursday:

“One of the reasons given to uphold the restriction is because that it has long been the practice of this country that the world Allah refers to God according to the Muslim faith.”

It was only proper for other religions to use the word “God” and not “Allah” when referring to their God in respective beliefs, Abdullah said, adding that the use of the word “Allah” shall not be made a public debate that may give the impression as if there is no freedom of religion in the country.

“The use of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims may arouse sensitivity and create confusion among Muslims in the country,” he said.

On Dec 31, the publication’s editor Father Lawrence Andrew said the weekly was allowed to continue printing its Bahasa Malaysia section with no restriction on the use of the word “Allah” for God.

He said a representative from the Internal Security Ministry delivered a letter dated Dec 28 with the permit to print the newspaper and that according to him, the letter did not place any restrictions whatsoever.

The newspaper carries reports in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Tamil and Chinese, about the Catholic community. It has a circulation of 12,000.

The ministry had earlier issued directives to the publisher to cease the use of the word “Allah” in the weekly, failing which its permit would either be suspended or revoked.

On Dec 5, the publisher filed a writ of summons in the Kuala Lumpur High Court to seek declarations of use of Allah.

When contacted later, Abdullah said that the Cabinet in the two meetings had decided that Herald - The Catholic Weekly should not use the word “Allah” in its publications.

“I would also like to remind the public that apart from the word ‘Allah’, three other words - Solat, Kaabah and Baitullah – are also prohibited and cannot be used in other religions’ publications,” he said.

What is the point of keeping her body when her heart, mind and soul are elsewhere already? It does not matter what her religion is recorded as in official documents, or whether her name is Lina Joy or Azlina Jailani. All these are temporal. Ultimately, like everyone else, she will have to go meet her Maker one day. Whatever faith she chooses, let God, and God alone, judge her on that when that day arrives.

At a time when my faith was at the lowest of lowest, when I felt all filthy and unworthy, He sent His angel to gently nudge me back to the path to His Kingdom. He made me see the error of my ways. He reminded me that I have yet to deliver many of the promises that I made to Him. When my Lord gives me only a slap on the wrist for my transgressions what else could I do but be grateful for a second chance and heed His calling once again.

It is raining outside. I am melancholic. Rita Coolidge is singing. My heart says live for the moment. My head says I wish I could. The worrywart in me is fidgety. Why are you not living one day at a time, the sane me asks. Because I have no answer to that, the confused me replies. I am wearing too many hats, I tell myself. Let go and let God, my long forgotten spiritual self reassures. That is exactly what I need to do.