I refer to Bilal's letter regarding the inclusion of the word keling in the Kamus Dewan by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. I disagree with his view that word should not be included in the dictionary.

Firstly, even if a word is derogatory, it has to be included in the dictionary. A dictionary is a book containing the words of a language, arranged alphabetically, with explanations of their meanings.

If the word is in use, a good dictionary should have an entry. For example, dictionaries like the Merriam-Webster have long included the words like 'redneck', 'nigger' and 'queer' in its adult editions. These words are insulting to many people.

Does Bilal truly believe that by removing all connotations of the word keling from the dictionary that the word will suddenly disappear from the Malay language? Wouldn't it be better for the word to be properly defined so that people can understand that it can indeed be used in an derogatory manner?

Secondly, the context in which the word keling is used also has to be taken into account. I know of at least two instances in which the names of mosques include the word keling .

One is the Kampung Keling mosque in Malacca and the other is Masjid Kapitan Keling built by an Indian Muslim leader known as Caudeer Mohudeen in the 1800s. Clearly one would not be naming such places of worship with the term keling if it was meant to be derogatory.

Furthermore the other terms like ' keling mabuk todi ' and ' keling pelikat ' both have harmless meanings. The former refers to talking rubbish and the latter, a Muslim of Indian origin.

While it is true that these words can be twisted to insult Indian Malaysians, so can a lot of other words.

For example, the word 'chink' can be used to describe a narrow opening. It can also be used a disparaging word for a person of Chinese birth. Is Bilal suggesting that we remove that word from the American Heritage dictionary so that our children never ever use the word?

Children will learn a large number of bad words in school, and explaining that a word could be used to hurt other people is a much better option than pretending it doesn't exist.

I hope the courts throw out the case filed by Angkatan Pelopor India Muslim Selangor dan Wilayah Persekutuan. They should be channelling their resources towards helping the Indian Malaysian community rather than on wasteful court cases that won't achieve anything.

' Keling ' is only as offensive a term as ' kelings' allow it to be. Embrace the word, Bilal, and its disrespectful connotations will exponentially lose value. DBP should stand its ground.