" It is pretty clear that the issue revolves around the use of the term “Allah,” as it has been understood and used by the Malays in particular to translate the word “God,” as used particularly in the Bible and as understood by the Christians.
The issue as such pertains to the problem of correct translation and is thus primarily an issue of the correct usage of a language – in this case, the Malay language in relation to the English language and, as Islam is also central to the discussion, the Arabic language.
Comes then the next question: What kind of a term is the word “Allah,” on the one hand, and the word “God” as used in English in relation to the Bible on the other hand?
It is obvious that with regard to the way the Malays have been using the term “Allah” in accordance with what Islam has taught them, it is the “proper name” for the one and only god with all the names and attributes necessary and proper for him and, just like any other proper name, it cannot be translated but rather should be basically maintained as such.
Hence, the sentence “Mr Bush used to be the President of the United States of America,” in correct Malay translation, is very likely to be “Encik Bush pernah menjadi Presiden Amerika Syarikat” and not “Encik Belukar pernah menjadi Presiden Amerika Syarikat”.
On that ground, therefore, one is fully justified to query whether it is correct to translate the respective proper name in the original Bible, if there is any, as “Allah”, let alone if the name concerned is actually merely an appellative noun or a title or, worse still, a general noun. "
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