SHAH ALAM – The use of the word “Allah” in the Bahasa Malaysia translation of the Bible, or any printed materials on Christianity, remains prohibited in Selangor, said Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
In a statement posted on the Selangor Royal Office Facebook page today, the ruler reiterated his stand that the word is sacred to Muslims and can only be used to refer to the Almighty, Most Perfect God.
He was referring to the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s ruling in the case of Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill against the home minister and government, where the nod was given for “Allah” to be used in non-Muslim religious publications for educational purposes, and after reading the full judgment dated March 17.
“The word ‘Allah’ should never be put in the wrong place or used other than to mean God Almighty, which is the basis of Muslims’ faith,” said the sultan, adding that he has no objection to the word “Tuhan” being used as a translation of “God”.
His assertion is in line with the Federal Court’s decision in the case of the Titular Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur against the home minister in 2014, and a fatwa gazetted in Selangor on February 18, 2010 stating that the word “Allah” cannot be used to refer to or be equated with God in religions other than Islam.
It is Muslims’ responsibility to stop the word from being used if there exists elements of abuse or insult, he said.
“I emphasise that it is the responsibility of all Muslims, especially Muslims in Selangor, to maintain the sanctity of the word Allah at all times and in any situation.”
He called on non-Muslims in the state to respect the ban on the use of the word, as provided for under the Non-Muslim Religions (Control of Development Among Muslims 1988) Enactment gazetted on July 7, 1988.
Sultan Sharafuddin said this includes the ban on the use of several other words stipulated in the enactment for commercial purposes, and the naming of places of business or buildings.
As the head of Islam in Selangor, he vowed to continue defending the sanctity of the word “Allah” as per his duty, referring to verse 65 of Surah at-Taubah, which forbids the mocking of the said word.
The ruler said he always stresses the importance of Selangor folk respecting one another’s beliefs so as to preserve unity.
“If Muslims can respect the followers of other religions by not interfering in matters related to those religions, then I urge the followers of other religions to respect the followers of Islam, too, especially in the use of the word ‘Allah’.”
He said he supports the request by the Johor sultan for the federal government to appeal against the high court ruling, adding that he has ordered the Selangor Islamic Religious Council to apply to the court as an intervener in the appeal.
“I call for the same thing to be implemented by other state Islamic councils, to preserve the glory of the word ‘Allah’ and the sanctity of Islam.” – Bernama, March 23, 2021
