"Paging La Valette..."

Just a note here to give context, because I actually live in Malaysia and grew up here:

The whole banning of the word "Allah" is partly motivated by a drive towards Islamization that began in the 80s, and partly motivated by the government stoking racial tensions.

With the most recent elections denying the government a clear 2/3rds majority in Parliament for the first time ever, as well as a recent scare where they didn't have enough Government MPs to pass the 2010 Budget, the Government's powerbase is shaken and weakening. As a result, in an attempt to secure a stronger footing among the Malays, who make up about 75-80% of the population, they use issues like these to stir up racial and religious tension.

Then again, it's to be expected in a nation where the term for suicide bomber - "pejuang berani mati" - means "A fighter willing to die." Which evokes images and ideas of heroism, and not the image of a man walking into civillians and detonating explosives strapped to his chest.