“An uproar among Muslims in Malaysia over the use of the word Allah by Christians spread over the weekend with the firebombing and vandalizing of several churches, increasing tensions at a time of political turbulence.”
Malaysian, Indonesian and other languages that have been heavily influenced by Arabic use the word Allah to refer to God.
While this has been a controversy in some churches in South East Asia and has been misunderstood by western Christians, it is a common and accepted usage of the word among people who speak those languages. Its usage in Arabic by believers predates Islam as well.
This latest violence by “extremist” Muslims is heart breaking and reveals the depth of the differences between following Mohammad and following Jesus.
Malaysian Churches Damaged Amid Uproar Over Court Ruling – NYTimes.com.
