Axing 'Herald' BM pullout 'not an option'
Yip Ai Tsin & Yoong Pui ShenPublished: Jan 20, 2010 4:13 PM | Updated: Jan 20, 2010 11:24 PM
Catholic weekly newspaper Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew said it is "not possible" for the Bahasa Malaysia pullout to be restricted to Sabah and Sarawak, as this is akin to "splitting a strand of hair".
Catholic weekly newspaper Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew said it is "not possible" for the Bahasa Malaysia pullout to be restricted to Sabah and Sarawak, as this is akin to "splitting a strand of hair".
"It is not possible. The permit includes all three pullouts as well," he said when met in his office yesterday.
He added that using other words to replace 'Allah' is "very wrong" as "that would be changing scriptures which we have no right to change".
On Jan 5, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin had called for a 'compromise' suggesting that only Herald’s edition in Sabah and Sarawak be allowed to use ‘Allah’ and not the peninsula publication.
Herald is published in English but also has a Malay, Chinese and Tamil pullout.
Lawrence stressed that the word 'Allah' has not been used in any edition of the Herald over the whole of last year up to now, in compliance with a condition imposed by the Home Ministry.
Asked to give an example of how the publication previously used the word in its Malay section, Lawrence explained that the problem lay in quoting scripture on the front page of the pullout.
“In the Bible, the word ‘Allah’ is there for God. So when we quote scripture, we take the passage and use it as it is. For the sake of the law right now, we have replaced the word ‘Allah’ with ‘Tuhan’.
“But that is something really very wrong because you are changing scripture which you have no right to change.”
Asked to comment on the attacks on churches, he said the perpetrators should be forgiven as it is all probably due to "a misunderstanding".
He remarked that the whole incident is just a momentary setback for Christians as there is always a “redemptive element and a silver lining”.
"We will learn a lot from this experience, an experience that is inviting us to relate better and not to segregate others," he said.
Although there is still a small group that will clamour and demand for a unique identity, Lawrence conceded that there is a greater level of openness among the people now.
He acknowledged that there was "some initial apprehension" among members of the Catholic congregation but that their faith has became stronger following the recent incidents.
Emphasising that the publication does not intend to convert anyone to Christianity, Lawrence clarified that the purpose of Herald is to reach out to Christians so that they would be able to “make moral decisions in the marketplace”.
“There is a lot of corruption, bribery and (so forth). Any believer is confronted by moral choices. We came to help Christians answer these questions so that they can have an experience of how they can respond to crises of one kind or another,” he said.
‘Informative, not political’
Responding to claims that the newspaper had flouted the guidelines by featuring political news in the past, Lawrence clarified that the publication has no specific political affiliation.
“We carry articles on global warming. Is it political? Is it economical? We have shown articles on how lakes are drying up. Is it our responsibility as Christians to allow those lakes to dry up? It is fundamentally a faith dimension.”
Earlier, the ministry had rejected a request by Herald to publish a supplement in the Kadazandusun language for readers in Sabah and Sarawak. Lawrence said that plans to do so have been put on hold until the ‘Allah’ controversy is resolved.
Founded in 1994 by Lawrence, Herald started out as a fortnightly publication with 12 pages.
Today, the 24-page newspaper runs local and international news pertaining to the Christian faith, apart from extracts from news portals such as Malaysiakini and the Catholic News Agency. Eight pages are dedicated to a Malay pullout, which features opinion and news articles.
Its current print circulation stands at 14,000 copies per month, including 2,000 in Sabah and Sarawak. Copies are distributed in bulk to churches and via mail to individuals. In accordance with ministry guidelines, each copy is marked as ‘restricted’.
Although jointly published by the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, Diocese of Melaka-Johor, Diocese of Penang and the Diocese of Keningau, only Lawrence and two other staff-members manage the newspaper on a full-time basis. Two members of the Sabah congregation manage the Malay-language section.
Herald is also available online. Its website, which was hacked following the ‘Allah’ controversy, has attracted about 100,000 hits per month since its launch last April.
"It is not possible. The permit includes all three pullouts as well," he said when met in his office yesterday.He added that using other words to replace 'Allah' is "very wrong" as "that would be changing scriptures which we have no right to change".
On Jan 5, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin had called for a 'compromise' suggesting that only Herald’s edition in Sabah and Sarawak be allowed to use ‘Allah’ and not the peninsula publication.
Herald is published in English but also has a Malay, Chinese and Tamil pullout.
Lawrence stressed that the word 'Allah' has not been used in any edition of the Herald over the whole of last year up to now, in compliance with a condition imposed by the Home Ministry.
Asked to give an example of how the publication previously used the word in its Malay section, Lawrence explained that the problem lay in quoting scripture on the front page of the pullout.
“In the Bible, the word ‘Allah’ is there for God. So when we quote scripture, we take the passage and use it as it is. For the sake of the law right now, we have replaced the word ‘Allah’ with ‘Tuhan’.
“But that is something really very wrong because you are changing scripture which you have no right to change.”
Asked to comment on the attacks on churches, he said the perpetrators should be forgiven as it is all probably due to "a misunderstanding".He remarked that the whole incident is just a momentary setback for Christians as there is always a “redemptive element and a silver lining”.
"We will learn a lot from this experience, an experience that is inviting us to relate better and not to segregate others," he said.
Although there is still a small group that will clamour and demand for a unique identity, Lawrence conceded that there is a greater level of openness among the people now.
He acknowledged that there was "some initial apprehension" among members of the Catholic congregation but that their faith has became stronger following the recent incidents.
Emphasising that the publication does not intend to convert anyone to Christianity, Lawrence clarified that the purpose of Herald is to reach out to Christians so that they would be able to “make moral decisions in the marketplace”.
“There is a lot of corruption, bribery and (so forth). Any believer is confronted by moral choices. We came to help Christians answer these questions so that they can have an experience of how they can respond to crises of one kind or another,” he said.
‘Informative, not political’
Responding to claims that the newspaper had flouted the guidelines by featuring political news in the past, Lawrence clarified that the publication has no specific political affiliation.
“We carry articles on global warming. Is it political? Is it economical? We have shown articles on how lakes are drying up. Is it our responsibility as Christians to allow those lakes to dry up? It is fundamentally a faith dimension.”
Earlier, the ministry had rejected a request by Herald to publish a supplement in the Kadazandusun language for readers in Sabah and Sarawak. Lawrence said that plans to do so have been put on hold until the ‘Allah’ controversy is resolved. Founded in 1994 by Lawrence, Herald started out as a fortnightly publication with 12 pages.
Today, the 24-page newspaper runs local and international news pertaining to the Christian faith, apart from extracts from news portals such as Malaysiakini and the Catholic News Agency. Eight pages are dedicated to a Malay pullout, which features opinion and news articles.
Its current print circulation stands at 14,000 copies per month, including 2,000 in Sabah and Sarawak. Copies are distributed in bulk to churches and via mail to individuals. In accordance with ministry guidelines, each copy is marked as ‘restricted’.
Although jointly published by the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, Diocese of Melaka-Johor, Diocese of Penang and the Diocese of Keningau, only Lawrence and two other staff-members manage the newspaper on a full-time basis. Two members of the Sabah congregation manage the Malay-language section.
Herald is also available online. Its website, which was hacked following the ‘Allah’ controversy, has attracted about 100,000 hits per month since its launch last April.
View Comments0