The Government of Malaysia has appealed the decision of the country’s Supreme Court: it ruled that Christians can call God “Allah” in religious publications. Reported by The Straits Times.
Thus, the Christian community in Malaysia will probably be prohibited from calling Allah by name. Christians believe that the prohibition is unjustified because it violates their freedoms. The community insists that this word was borrowed from the Arabic language, and it is translated as “God”, and not as a proper name.
At the same time, the decision of the Supreme Court, rendered on March 10, concerned the case of one Christian Jill Bill from Sarawak state: she was allowed to use the word “Allah” to describe her religious practices. The court also authorized the use of the words “Kaaba” (Islamic shrine in Mecca), “Baytallah” (“house of God”) and “Salat” (“prayer”) in Christian publications for educational purposes.
Bill filed a lawsuit 13 years ago: then eight CDs with educational materials were confiscated from her. This was due to the fact that the word “Allah” was written on them. The Christian woman’s lawsuit coincided with another case involving the use of the word “Allah” by the Catholic Herald. The newspaper was banned from using this word, as it allegedly “could lead to confusion in society.”
The official religion of Malaysia is Islam. According to some reports, it is practiced by about 60 percent of the population.