[UPDATED] Cabinet to give policy recommendations on ‘Allah’ issue to Malay rulers

KUALA LUMPUR – The cabinet has received the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s consent to present recommendations that would strengthen the country’s policy regarding issues surrounding the use of the word “Allah” to the Conference of Rulers, said the prime minister.

In a statement, today, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also stressed that the government will at the same time look to improve unity and racial harmony among the country’s various ethnicities and religious groups.

He also explained that Putrajaya’s call to withdraw its appeal against a high court decision that allowed a Christian woman from Sarawak to use the term “Allah” in her religious teachings was merely an administrative decision. 

Anwar said that the attorney-general’s decision to withdraw the appeal does not interfere with a Federal Court ruling in 2014 which maintained a ban against Herald – a Catholic weekly paper – from using the term “Allah” in its publications.

The Tambun MP also emphasised that Putrajaya continues to respect the provisions in state enactments and the king’s decree on February 7 calling to maintain existing policies with regard to the use of the term “Allah.”   

“The government will always defend the federal constitution, specifically Article 3 which provides that Islam is the religion of the federation and other faiths can be practised in peace and harmony,” Anwar said in the statement. 

Yesterday it was reported that the federal government withdrew its appeal against a high court decision that allowed the use of the words “Allah,” “Baitullah,” “Kaabah,” and “solat” by Christians for religious education purposes. 

It is understood that the attorney-general notified the Court of Appeal on April 18 that it did not intend to pursue the case. 

On August 20, 2008, Sarawakian Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill commenced a judicial review application for the return of eight CDs seized from her on May 11, 2008, upon her arrival at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal in Sepang. 

In the application, Jill Ireland had sought, among others, a declaration that it is her constitutional right to have access to Christian publications in the exercise of her rights to practise her religion and to education, as provided under Article 11 of the federal constitution. 

On March 10, 2021, the high court ruled that Ireland was allowed to use the term “Allah” for religious education in the Malay and Melanau languages in Sarawak.

The high court also ruled that a Home Ministry directive issued on December 5, 1986, prohibiting the use of the words “Allah,” “Baitullah,” “Solat,” and “Kaabah” by non-Muslims was illegal and unconstitutional. – The Vibes, May 17, 2023