MIRI – While the high court’s ruling on the use of the word “Allah” and three other Arabic words in Christian publications has sparked controversy, there are others who believe that this is a non-issue.
“My family have Muslims and Christians living under the same roof and we pray and sing to Allah together,” said Abdul Aziz Isa, who is Sarawak DAP Stampin branch chief.
“There is absolutely no issue at all in Sarawak with regard to the use of the name Allah in Sarawak (and Sabah).
“The controversy is only created by certain groups in the peninsula.
“My mother was a Christian and she converted after marrying my father who is a Muslim.
“I grew up among Christian families.
“We celebrate each other’s religious festivals together and pray and sing to Allah together in harmony,” he said in a press statement.
Aziz is one of the many Sarawakians who have called on fellow citizens to respect and accept the high court decision to allow the name “Allah” to be used by non-Muslims.
“There is no need to drag the matter to the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court,” he said.
There are a handful of parties calling for Putrajaya to refer the ruling to the appellate court.
Meanwhile, social activist Peter Kallang told The Vibes that there is a need for politicians in the peninsula to respect and accept this decision and not to prolong it or turn it into another controversy.
Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu chief for Baram Division, Dennis Ngau, said that as mentioned in the high court ruling, the name Allah has been used in Sarawak for centuries.
“Sarawakians have never disputed that. When Datuk Seri Najib Razak was prime minister, he said he respected the fact that the name Allah is being used by non-Muslims in Sarawak.
“And, now that the Kuala Lumpur High Court has ruled that it is legally right for non-Muslims to use the name Allah, every party must respect and accept that,” said Ngau.
Sarawak United People’s Party information chief Adam Yii said that the high court decision reaffirms everyone’s right to practise their religion freely.
Yii, who is Miri mayor, told The Vibes that the high court decision is a positive step forward at the national front for freedom of religion.
“The ban on the use of the name Allah by the federal government (imposed in 1986) was never imposed in Sarawak.
“In Sarawak, we are free to use the name Allah to practise our faith freely and equally.
“It was the federal government at that time that imposed the ban on non-Muslims using the name ‘Allah’.
“Now that, at the national level, this ban has been overruled and lifted by the Kuala Lumpur High Court, it should serve as a positive step forward to reaffirm equality of all at the national level to practise their faith without government restriction,” he said.
Sarawak PKR vice-chairman Dr Teo Yu Keng said that the federal government’s ban should not have been imposed in the first place.
“This controversy should not have risen in the first place since the constitution guarantees freedom to all to practise their faith.
“The Kuala Lumpur High Court decision should be welcomed by the federal government in Putrajaya.
“We should move on and not drag any religious issue into government policies,” he said.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court had on Wednesday ruled in favour of a civil suit by a Sarawakian Melanau-Christian woman – Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill.
Jill Ireland had filed the suit against the federal government 13 years ago after she was stopped at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport from bringing in books and cassette discs containing the name Allah.
She filed her legal suit to seek a declaration that she has a right to practise her faith freely.
She had sought a declaration that the government’s directive on December 5, 1986, to ban non-Muslims from using the name “Allah” is unconstitutional and invalid.
Judge Datuk Nor Bee Ariffin ruled that Jill Ireland is free to use the name “Allah” in practising her religion and to use any publication containing the name for educational purposes.
She ruled that the government’s ban is unconstitutional and thus invalid. – The Vibes, March 12, 2021
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