Malaysia federal government appeals ruling on Christians using 'Allah'
16 March, 2021
The Malaysian government on Monday (Mar 15) appealed a court's decision to overturn a decades-old official ban and allow Christians in the Muslim-majority country to use "Allah" to make reference to God.
The word is definitely divisive in multi-ethnic Malaysia, with Christians complaining that attempts to avoid them using it highlights the growing influence of conservative Islam.
However, many Muslims accuse the sizeable Christian minority of overstepping boundaries, and the topic has fuelled religious tensions and sparked violence over the years.
The other day the Kuala Lumpur Substantial Court ruled that Christians may use "Allah" on publications, siding with an associate of the minority and impressive downwards a ban that dated back to 1986.
A good judge ruled the ban was unconstitutional, as Malaysia's constitution guarantees freedom of faith.
But the authorities lodged a task at the courtroom of appeal declaring it was "unhappy" with the ruling, according to documents seen by AFP.
Authorities have got long argued that allowing non-Muslims to work with "Allah" could be confusing, and entice Muslims to convert.
The case started 13 years back when officials seized religious resources in the neighborhood Malay words from a Christian at Kuala Lumpur airport that contained the term "Allah".
The woman - Jill Ireland Lawrence Costs, a member of a Malaysian indigenous group - then released a legal concern against the ban on Christians using the term.
Malaysia offers largely avoided overt spiritual conflict in recent years, but tensions have already been growing.
In 2014 a church was hit with petrol bombs, while Islamic authorities have seized Bibles containing the term "Allah".
Less than 10 % of Malaysia's 32 million persons are estimated to be Christians, via mostly ethnic Chinese, Indian or perhaps indigenous backgrounds, while 60 % are actually ethnically Malay Muslims.
Source:
TAG(s):