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Malaysian court rules use of 'Allah' exclusive to Muslims
ABC Radio Australia - October 14, 2013
Lawyers for the Catholic paper, The Herald, say the word Allah predates Islam and has been used extensively by Malay-speaking Christians in Malaysia's part of Borneo island for centuries.
The unanimous decision by three Muslim judges in Malaysia's appeals court overturns a 2009 ruling by a lower court that allowed the Malay language version of the newspaper, The Herald, to use the word "Allah".
"It is our common finding that the usage of the name 'Allah' is not an integral part of the faith and practice of Christianity," chief judge Mohamed Apandi Ali said in the ruling. "The usage of the word will cause confusion in the community." Paper to appeal
The dispute erupted in early 2009 when the Home Ministry threatened to revoke the Herald's publishing permit for using the word. The paper won a judicial review of the home minister's decision in 2009, triggering an appeal from the federal government.
The publishers of the Herald say they plan to appeal higher to the federal court. Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew says the ruling is flawed, noting that "Allah" has been used extensively in Malay-language versions of the Bible for decades.
"It is also a retrograde step in the development of the law relating to the fundamental liberties of religious minorities in this country," Mr Andrew said.
Some observers have expressed fear that a ruling in the Malay-dominated government's favour could be used as precedent to have "Allah" also stricken from Bible.
Ban removal triggers attacks
Following the initial government ban, Muslim groups seized on the issue, claiming the Arabic word "Allah" is exclusive to Islam.
The ban's removal triggered a series of attacks in early 2010 on places of worship, mostly churches, using Molotov cocktails, rocks and paint, and sparking fears of wider religious conflict in the country.
Malaysia has largely avoided overt religious conflict, but tensions have slowly risen with what many perceive as an increasing Islamisation of the country.
The decision coincides with heightened ethnic and religious tensions in Malaysia after a polarising May election, in which the long-ruling coalition was deserted by urban voters including a large section of minority ethnic Chinese.
Malaysian PM seeks to consolidate support
In recent months, Prime Minister Najib Razak has sought to consolidate his support among majority ethnic Malays, who are Muslim by law, and secure the backing of traditionalists ahead of a ruling party assembly this month.
In its case, the government argued that the word "Allah" is specific to Muslims and that the then-home minister's decision in 2008 to deny the newspaper permission to print it was justified on the basis of public order.
Christians in Indonesia and much of the Arab world continue to use the word without opposition from Islamic authorities. Churches in the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak have said they will continue to use the word despite the ruling.
Muslims make up 60 percent of the country's 28 million people, while Christians account for about nine percent. (Reuters/AFP)
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