# Malaysian Muslims **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 23, 2014, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431 "2014-06-23T09:26:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/1 "2014-06-23T09:26:20Z")
[http://news.yahoo.com/malaysias-top-court-allah-muslims-only-060945018.html](http://news.yahoo.com/malaysias-top-court-allah-muslims-only-060945018.html) > [@](#): > > The government says Allah should be reserved exclusively for Muslims — who make up nearly two-thirds of the country’s 29 million people — because if other religions use it that could confuse Muslims and lead them to convert. I am so :mad:ing sick of Muslim bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/2 "2014-06-23T09:42:09Z")
And how is that “Muslims bullshit” as opposed to bullshit from a particular group, a government, which by no means represents all Muslims? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/3 "2014-06-23T12:01:43Z")
I’m in Malaysia now. It basically comes down to this: is _ala_ just the Malay word for “god” (obviously originating as an Arabic borrowing), or does it refer only to the Muslim god? It does seem incongruous (to US eyes, especially) that a country with an advanced economy and superhighways has such a theocratic lack of free speech. But it does remind me that freedom of speech (and separation of church and state) is something that had to invented and carefully nurtured – one of the points of a great book I just read, Russell Shorto’s _The Island at the Center of the World_. (It’s about New Amsterdam, the Dutch colonial city that became New York, which provided more of a foundation for these US political freedoms than is generally acknowledged). ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/4 "2014-06-23T15:33:33Z")
Is there an apostasy law in Malaysia? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/5 "2014-06-23T15:39:28Z")
I’m glad to see the OP is focusing on what truly matters. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/6 "2014-06-23T16:15:28Z")
[Alabama Chief Justice says first amendment only applies to Chrsitians.](http://politix.topix.com/news/11870-watch-alabama-chief-justice-says-freedom-of-religion-should-only-apply-to-christians) But I’m sure this is different from what’s going on in Malaysia because… reasons? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/7 "2014-06-23T17:01:33Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [Alabama Chief Justice says first amendment only applies to Chrsitians.](http://politix.topix.com/news/11870-watch-alabama-chief-justice-says-freedom-of-religion-should-only-apply-to-christians) > > But I’m sure this is different from what’s going on in Malaysia because… reasons? Non-Christians in Alabama are allowed to say “Christ!” if they hit themselves on the thumb with a hammer. Christians, however, are not allowed to take the lord’s name in vain and therefore have no such right. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Why_Bother)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/8 "2014-06-23T17:04:00Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [Alabama Chief Justice says first amendment only applies to Chrsitians.](http://politix.topix.com/news/11870-watch-alabama-chief-justice-says-freedom-of-religion-should-only-apply-to-christians) > > But I’m sure this is different from what’s going on in Malaysia because… reasons? Because the latter is an official ruling and the former is just some dude mouthing off. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/9 "2014-06-23T17:05:19Z")
Yeah, he’s just a judge. It’s not like his interpretation of the law carries any weight or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Why_Bother)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/10 "2014-06-23T17:10:21Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Yeah, he’s just a judge. It’s not like his interpretation of the law carries any weight or anything. Was the Alabama judge’s statement a official ruling? Yes or no. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/11 "2014-06-23T18:35:54Z")
No. Are you going to ask a relevant question next? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Why_Bother)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/12 "2014-06-23T18:45:07Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > No. Are you going to ask a relevant question next? It _is_ a relevant question. **Miller** asked what the difference was between the Malaysian ruling and what that Alabama judge said. The difference is that the former is a ruling. The latter isn’t and therefore can just be dismissed as some old fool mouthing off. Not the same thing at all. How’s this for a relevand question; if I’m a Malaysian Christian, am I allowed to say “Allah” if it comes up in a hip-hop track I’m rapping along with? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/13 "2014-06-23T18:47:06Z")
If you lined up all the evil Muslims of the world, in order of evilness, the Malays would be so far down the list as to be humorous. This is self evident to anyone with even a passing knowledge of either Islam or Malays. Unfortunately while the OP clearly possesses no knowledge of either, he doesn’t let that get in the way of his bigotry. A pretty clear sign of raw unadulterated ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/14 "2014-06-23T18:51:22Z")
> [@Doctor\_Why\_Bother](#): > > It _is_ a relevant question. **Miller** asked what the difference was between the Malaysian ruling and what that Alabama judge said. The difference is that the former is a ruling. The latter isn’t and therefore can just be dismissed as some old fool mouthing off. Not the same thing at all. The first is just a ruling about a word. The latter is a statement of legal opinion about a right. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/15 "2014-06-23T19:04:53Z")
> [@Chihuahua](#): > > [Yahoo News: Latest and Breaking News, Headlines, Live Updates, and More](http://news.yahoo.com/malaysias-top-court-allah-muslims-only-060945018.html) > > I am so :mad:ing sick of Muslim bullshit. I am sure they are sick of your bullshit, too. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/16 "2014-06-23T19:18:47Z")
> [@Doctor\_Why\_Bother](#): > > The latter isn’t and therefore can just be dismissed as some old fool mouthing off. The old fool is the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. He has authored some seriously worrisome decisions, including this in one: > [@](#): > > Homosexual behavior is a ground for divorce, an act of sexual misconduct punishable as a crime in Alabama, a crime against nature, an inherent evil, and an act so heinous that it defies one’s ability to describe it. He’s not just mouthing off - he seems to put his money where his mouth is. However, in relation to the specific quote here there’s the following: > **[Roy Moore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore#2014)** > > Roy Stewart Moore (born February 11, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer, and jurist who served as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2013 to 2017, each time being removed from office for judicial misconduct by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary. He was the Republican Party nominee in the 2017 U.S. Senate special election in Alabama to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, but was accused by several women of sexually assaulting them while they ... > [@](#): > > When he was accused of implying the First Amendment only protected Christians, he rejected that and stated his belief that the First Amendment protects all faiths: “It applies to the rights God gave us to be free in our modes of thinking, and as far as religious liberty to all people, regardless of what they believe.” ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/17 "2014-06-23T22:54:55Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Is there an apostasy law in Malaysia? Yes. It’s not precisely _illegal_ as a federal matter, but it’s everything but. Ethnic Malays are presumed to be Muslim and held to Shariah codes, and you have to go to a Shariah court to petition if you want to convert (and apparently they very rarely allow conversions). ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2014, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/18 "2014-06-23T23:34:48Z")
I’m guessing that loving bacon and drinking aren’t popular grounds to grant conversions? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Why_Bother)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/19 "2014-06-24T09:22:30Z")
> [@Really Not All That Bright](#): > > The first is just a ruling about a word. The latter is a statement of legal opinion about a right. Okay, help me out here because I’m really not getting this at all. The Malaysian ruling is a _ruling_, right? That means people have to obey it. People have to change the way that they live their lives or face legal sanction because of this ruling. I have that correct, yes? This ruling directly affects the lives of literally _tens of millions of people._ Please, tell me in simple language what weight does the “statement of legal opinion” hold which compares with that? Does anyone have to obey this “statement of legal opinion”? Does anyone have to change their behaviour in any way at all? I get that the guy who said it is important and everything, and maybe I mischaracterised it when I said it was just “some old fool mouthing off” but it still seems like it isn’t in anything like the same league, legally speaking, as the Malaysian ruling which clearly has the power to genuinely hurt people. Look, the way I see it, **Miller** made a simple false equivalence. Easy mistake to make, done it myself plenty of times. But from where I’m sitting it seems like a pretty clear false equivalence. What am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2014, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431/20 "2014-06-24T10:19:46Z")
> [@Doctor\_Why\_Bother](#): > > How’s this for a relevand question; if I’m a Malaysian Christian, am I allowed to say “Allah” if it comes up in a hip-hop track I’m rapping along with? Only if you promise not to rhyme it with “dollar” or “holler”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malaysian-muslims/691431.md?page=2)