KOTA KINABALU – Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau has called for all parties in Peninsular and East Malaysia to seek a peaceful resolution over the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak.
The Upko honorary president wants leaders to accept the basis for the use of the word among non-Muslims in the East Malaysia region and instead foster understanding as opposed to exacerbating tensions between the peninsula and Borneo regions, which are flaring up again.
He said the use of the word “Allah” by Christian communities in Borneo was not intended to convert Muslims and has never posed a threat to the Muslim communities in the region.
“The Malay-speaking Christian communities in Borneo indeed used the word ‘Allah’ as ‘Allah Taala’ in the Iban language, ‘Tuhan Allah’ in Lun Bawang, Lun Dayeh, and Kelabit languages, and ‘Tuhan Alla’ in the Bidayuh language.
“The use of the word ‘Allah’ among Christians in Borneo became visible in the 1980s due to the success of the National Language Policy, as well as the migration of the people in Borneo to Peninsular Malaysia to look for better jobs and education,” he said here today.
Tangau said the freedom of Christians in East Malaysia to use the word should be celebrated instead of scorned as it shows the success of the use of the Malay language across race and religion, as well as harmony between the people of Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia.
He noted that 18 MPs, four senators, 23 assemblymen from Sarawak and nine from Sabah had jointly appealed to then prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to withdraw the federal government’s appeal against the high court decision on March 10, 2021, which deemed the ban on the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims unconstitutional.
“We are grateful that our call has finally been heard by the inclusive government under the leadership of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“We hope that the decision of the federal government to withdraw its appeal will be accepted by all parties with an open heart,” he added.
The use of the word became a point of contention again after the government and the Home Ministry withdrew their appeal against the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s ruling that Christians can use the word “Allah” and three other Arabic words in religious materials published for educational purposes.
The notice regarding the termination of the appeal was filed on April 18 and stated that both appellants do not wish to proceed with the appeal submitted on March 12, 2021 and dismissed the entire appeal at the Court of Appeal without an order as to costs.
This comes after the high court allowed a judicial review application filed by a Christian woman of Melanau descent from Sarawak, Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, on March 10. – The Vibes, May 17, 2023
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