[Reuters]
Malaysian Christians are allowed to use the word “Allah” to refer to God in educational publications, a High Court ruled on Wednesday in ending a decades-long ban, which the court said was unconstitutional because it restricted religious freedom.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court further ruled that a 1986 directive by the home ministry to bar the use of Allah and three other Arabic words in Christian publications was illegal and irrational, because Malay Christians had used these words for more than 400 years, the state-run Bernama news agency reported about the verdict.
“The use of the words would not disrupt public order,” Judge Nor Bee Ariffin said in her ruling allowing Christian publications to use not just “Allah, but also the words “baitullah,” “kaabah” and “solat.”
KUALA LUMPUR: After more than a decade, the High Court has ruled that Christians in the country are allowed to use the word “Allah” and three other words of Arabic origin in their religious publication for educational purposes.
This follows a decision by Justice Nor Bee Ariffin, now a Court of Appeal judge, who allowed a judicial review by a Christian woman, Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, to practise her constitutional rights of practising her religion.
The other three words in question are Baitullah, Kaabah and solat.The legal action by Jill Ireland had taken root some 13 years ago in 2008 when eight CDs she had brought in from Indonesia were confiscated by Customs officers at an airport in Sepang as they contained the word “Allah”.
KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has called on all parties not to speculate or interpret the High Court’s decision yesterday ove.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin cautioned today against conjecture over the landmark High Court ruling invalidating the government’s 1986 ban on Christian publications using the word “Allah”. He said his ministry, which was responsible for issuing the.