Opinion Poll: What's in a name?

Technorati tags: Opinion+Poll, Poll Position, Allah, Malaysia, Controversy

More about the results of the previous poll in a later post – this new poll’s gotta be released first. Priorities, ya know?

For reasons that are obvious (to Walski at least), the oft-overused Shakespearean line immediately comes to mind.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet."
(Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Act II Scene ii)

And the name that’s being debated is “Allah” – the God, in Arabic, whose use to many Malaysians, is synonymous with Islam.

The debate over who can and cannot use this word, recently resurrected itself after the December 31, 2009 court decision in favor of the Herald, allowing the use of the word “Allah” in it’s Malay language section.

The judge in that case ruled “that usage of the word was constitutional as long as the periodical was confined to educating the followers of the Christian faith” (via The Malaysian Insider).

This decision, needless to say, has not been well-received by the defenders of Islam in Malaysia. And the arguments most used are that allowing anyone else other than Muslims to use the word will “confuse the Muslims”, and that it is “an affront to Islam”.

And so with the scene set, Walski figured that it was time to unleash another opinion poll, located at this blog’s sidebar, or at this site.

Knowing that the reader demographic of myAsylum tends to lean towards the liberal, Walski has a big favor to ask you – let the more conservative amongst us know about this poll, and ask them – politely – to voice their opinion. 
(spreading the word far ‘n wide, and more, in the full post)

There are a few ways you can help spread the word:

• simply tell folks you know - never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth
• direct them to this blog post
• if you have a Blogger-based blog, embed the poll in your own blog sidebar (click on the button you see immediately underneath the poll. Note, however, that the widget is only for Blogger based blogs. If you’re blog is on a different platform, let Walski know and he’ll send you the codes. Alternatively, go to the polling site (at Polldaddy.com), where you can find an embed code (but he’s not sure how well that one works, ‘cause he’s never tried using it)

The poll will remain open until midnight on Friday, January 15, 2010. Regardless of what happens between now and then, it’s important that your opinion is heard. Or seen, as the case may be.

Not to skew the result of this poll, but as far as Walski is concerned, this is a very emotionally charged non-issue. And one that is being exploited for political reasons, more than anything else – even the so-called religious reasons actually have their roots in politics.

In any case, for or against, Walski looks forward to your opinions…