Dutch bishop suggests calling God by the name of Allah

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by kermitology

No, but they must understand it to some degree since all the prayers are announced in Arabic. No matter where I was in Semarang I could hear the loud speaker at prayer time. The early morning one sucked until I got used to hearing it.

Yup.

Just like I know "In nomine Patris et fillii et Spiritus Sancti", Muslims know the words of the quran and the prayers, but, also like me, they couldn't speak or read but a tiny little bit of latin otherwise.

Another interesting example is in Persia. Many persian muslims do not speak arabic, but are able to read it because the alphabet is more or less the same.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by REDVAN

For the love of Allah, why can't we all just get along?

AMEN!!!

I have always said that we should celebrate our differences instead of trying to make everyone like ourself. It is the differences that make life interesting. If we were all the same, it would be like pea soup, like fog, just blah.

And most things in life are more alike than they are different, excluding things like cults, terrorists of course, I am talking mainstream. Most of mankind wants a roof over their head, food on their plate, a means of providing those basics, some friends and family.

Mankind being what it is though, some will be more aggressive in pursuit of their goals. So then the type of house will be different for many people, the food we eat will be different etc, but by and large, mankind has the same needs and wants.

And religions too are more alike than they are different. Yes, the way we practise rituals might be somewhat different, the ages the rituals start might be a bit different, what we call the religious celebrations might be different, what we call our Supreme Being might be different but on the whole, most religions have fundamental similarities.

And if only people would take just a bit of time out of their lives to research a bit about the religions out there, we might actually come to some understanding as to what they are about. Instead, too many are just too eager to say, it is my way or the highway and they wear blinders and cover their ears and simply will not open their minds to any other interpretations. Opening up your mind does not mean you have to follow, it merely means you have tolerance for what others believe in. And sadly, tolerance is in short supply these days.

[Ayrahb]

From a Muslim point of view, this is complete nonsense. If the bishop wants to help ease the religious tensions, there are so many better ways to do that.

In response to some comments: techically, you don't have to know Arabic to say the prayers. You just memorize them in their phonetic form. Translations of the Qur'an are available in most languages, so you can learn the meaning of the prayers. Of course, reading the text in its original language is much better.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Muta

Like an opinion expressed in the article, I don't see any benefit to it either. The root problems of religious strifes are still going to be the same whether you call God, Allah or Allah, God.

Plus, how do you enforce it? If I'm religious, and I've been calling my god 'God' my entire life, why would I change it just to satisfy a religion I don't even follow or really care that much about?

You can practice tolerance through the actions you take; not from wrongfully adopting practices you don't, and shouldn't have to, preach.

From what I understand the word 'god' describes what he is, such as you and I are human beings. 'Allah' is more specific as it is one of the hundred names of god. The Bible also talks of the name of god. One of the mentioned names is 'yahweh'. I look at these names as much the same as mantras used in some meditations.

The most interesting aspect for me, is the idea Jews so revere his name that they won't speak it.
I take the view that it can't be spoken, only heard.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Ayrahb

Translations of the Qur'an are available in most languages, so you can learn the meaning of the prayers. Of course, reading the text in its original language is much better.

I'd venture that Muslim's would be more offended that you were using a translated version since it couldn't possibly have the same meaning (hence why it's always been in Arabic)

[Ayrahb]

Originally Posted by kermitology

I'd venture that Muslim's would be more offended that you were using a translated version since it couldn't possibly have the same meaning (hence why it's always been in Arabic)

I was actually talking about using the translated versions to understand the meaning of the prayers. The prayers still must be said in Arabic.

Qur'an translations are freely available in the Muslim world and I never met a Muslim (myself included) who was offended by a credible translation.