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Malaysia Catholic newspaper loses fight to use 'Allah'
AFP
October 14, 2013, 2:53 pm
Putrajaya (Malaysia) (AFP) - An appeals panel ruled Monday that a Malaysian Catholic newspaper could not use "Allah" to refer to the Christian God in a case that sparked attacks on places of worship three years ago.
The publishers of the Herald, who had argued that a 2009 government ban on the use of Allah in its Malay-language edition was unconstitutional, said after the ruling they planned to appeal higher to the Federal Court.
"It is our judgment that there is no infringement of any of the constitutional rights," said Apandi Ali, head of the three-judge panel.
"It is our common finding that the usage of the name 'Allah' is not an integral part of the faith and practice of Christianity."
The dispute erupted in early 2009 when the Home Ministry threatened to revoke the Herald's publishing permit for using the word.
The Catholic Church sued, claiming violation of its constitutional rights. A court upheld the church's argument later that year and lifted the ban pending judicial review.
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 multi-faith country.
Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew said Monday's ruling was flawed, noting that "Allah" has been used extensively in Malay-language versions of the Bible for decades without trouble.
"It is also a retrograde step in the development of the law relating to the fundamental liberties of religious minorities in this country," he told reporters.
Andrew insisted the Church remained unbowed and would appeal.
Some observers have expressed fear that a ruling in the Malay-dominated government's favour could potentially be used as precedent to have "Allah" also stricken from Bibles.
Muslims make up 60 percent of the country's 28 million people, while Christians account for about nine percent.
Following the initial government ban, Muslim groups seized on the issue, claiming that the Arabic word "Allah" is exclusive to Islam.
Malaysia has largely avoided overt religious conflict in recent decades, but tensions have slowly risen along with what many perceive as an increasing Islamisation of the Southeast Asian country.
Malaysian court rules use of 'Allah' exclusive to Muslims
Reuters
October 14, 2013, 1:46 pm
A Muslim woman recites a prayer during a demonstration outside Malaysia's Court of Appeal in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur October 14, 2013. REUTERS/Samsul Said
By Siva Sithraputhran
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (Reuters) - A Malaysian court ruled on Monday that a Christian newspaper may not use the word "Allah" to refer to God, a landmark decision on an issue that has fanned religious tensions and raised questions over minority rights in the mainly Muslim country.
The unanimous decision by three Muslim judges in Malaysia's appeals court overturned a 2009 ruling by a lower court that allowed the Malay language version of the newspaper, The Herald, to use the word Allah - as many Christians in Malaysia say has been the case for centuries.
"The usage of the word Allah is not an integral part of the faith in Christianity," chief judge Mohamed Apandi Ali said in the ruling. "The usage of the word will cause confusion in the community."
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 that included a large section of minority ethnic Chinese.
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 crucial ruling party assembly this month.
His new government - dominated by his Malay-based United Malays National Organisation - has toughened security laws and introduced steps to boost a decades-old affirmative action policy for ethnic Malays, reversing liberal reforms aimed at appealing to a broader section of multi-ethnic Malaysia.
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.
Lawyers for the Catholic paper had argued that the word Allah predates Islam and had been used extensively by Malay-speaking Christians in Malaysia's part of Borneo island for centuries. They say they will appeal against Monday's decision to Malaysia's highest court.
Christians in Indonesia and much of the Arab world continue to use the word without opposition from Islamic authorities. Churches in the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak have said they will continue to use the word regardless of the ruling.
The paper won a judicial review of the home minister's decision in 2009, triggering an appeal from the federal government.
Ethnic Malays make up 60 percent of Malaysia's 28 million people, with Chinese accounting for more than a quarter and ethnic Indians also forming a substantial minority. Christians account for around 9 percent.
