In reply to Ali, Hebrew did not merely seem to be restricted to the Jews at some point in history, but is the language of the Jews, or rather the Israelites (Jews refers to member of the tribe of Judea who returned from the Babylionian exile).
As read in the Old Testament, by far the oldest surviving Semitic text, the root word was a word applied to god/gods in general. The Arabic "Allah", which include the definite particle, refers to the uniqueness and sanctity of one God. Whether the relationship between the Hebrew and Arabic words is that of being cognates or being derived from one another is immaterial and impossible of being researched.
I believe that the Islam, Judaism and Christinatity share the same basic concepts of a unique, single God. Recognizing that can lead to more mutual understanding and recognition of commonality.
What is being done in Malaysia has nothing to do with religion or faith. It is simply the politics of ethnic identity, were ethnic Malays work to exclude Chinese and other minorities. Since the Chinese bring a rich cultural heritage, the Malays feel the need to erect barriers by boosting Islamic cultursl credentials.
The third commandment (which Muslims recognize too) says not to bear God's name in vain. The usage of God's or Allah's name in ethnic politics is a sad case of using it in vain. It is in fact not according to the spirit of Islam, but rather counter to it. But when did politicians truly cared about such things.
It is reminiscent of Muslim scholar Razal's interview on Fox New in the US, where he was admonished for talking about or mentioning Jesus Christ because he was a Muslim.
Islam is a great religion with a great legacy of culture and faith. It stands in no need of Malaysians politician protecting it for their own benefit. Allah as the only God and creator is referred to with lack of proper reverence when thus used for the politics of hate.