THE HAGUE — A Roman Catholic Bishop in the Netherlands believes people of all faiths should use Allah, the Arabic word for God, which is already being used by Arab-speaking Christians, to foster interfaith understanding.
“Allah is a very beautiful word for God,” Bishop Martinus “Tiny” Muskens, from the southern diocese of Breda, told the “Network” television show earlier this week.
“Shouldn’t we all say that from now on we will name God Allah?”
Bishop Muskens, 71, said that Arabic-speaking Christians already use Allah to refer to God.
He added that in Indonesia, where he spent eight years, priests have for decades been using Allah while celebrating Mass.
“In the heart of the Eucharist, God is called Allah over there, so why can’t we start doing that together?”
The Catholic bishop said people are needlessly “bickering” over such terminology.
“What does God care what we call him? It is our problem.”
Bishop Muskens has broken with Vatican leadership to endorse the use of condoms as a means of preventing the spread of AIDS.
In 2006, he traveled to Uganda to endorse the work of a group called Stop AIDS Now, which emphasized condom distribution.
He has also suggested that those who are hungry may steal bread to eat.
Long-term
Gerrit de Fijter, chairman of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, welcomed any attempt to “create more dialogue.”
He does not support the suggestion.
“Calling God Allah does no justice to Western identity. I see no benefit in it,” he told Netherlands’ biggest-selling newspaper De Telegraaf on Wednesday.
A survey in the daily said 92 percent of the more than 4,000 people polled disagreed with Bishop Muskens.
Bishop Muskens, who is retiring soon for health problems, recognizes that his suggestion might take a century or two to gain widespread acceptance.
The word “God” gives the meaning of giving, fairness and capability.
The word’s root can be found in the Arabic term jude (generosity), which root is jawada. Its equivalent in English is the word “good”.
As for the word “Allah”, it recognizes the English word “all”, giving one of the best characteristics of Allah’s attributes; The All-Knowing, All-Seeing, All-Hearing, All-Merciful etc.
Every baby born has, as his first utterance, the short “a” sound, which is an expression of the oneness of humanity, in relation to its Creator.
Also, all final deathbed gasps exhale the “h”, the last letter of the name of Allah.
This is because He is the First and the Last!
When we scream in pain or cry out in fear, or grunt and groan during strenuous exercise or disgust, or exclaim in joy or surprise, it is the very same… “ahhh” that we all emit.