MALAYSIA GOVERNMENT APPEALS RULING ON CHRISTIANS USING ‘ALLAH’

Mon 15 March 2021:

The Malaysian government is challenging the High Court’s recent ruling that allows the country’s Christian community to use the word “Allah” when referring to God for educational purposes, national media reported on Monday, citing officials

.Last week the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Christians can use “Allah” in publications, siding with a member of the minority and striking down a ban that dated back to 1986.

A judge ruled the ban was unconstitutional, as Malaysia’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

Authorities have long argued that allowing non-Muslims to use “Allah” could be confusing, and entice Muslims to convert.

The case began 13 years ago when officials seized religious materials in the local Malay language from a Christian at Kuala Lumpur airport that contained the word “Allah”.

The woman – Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, a member of a Malaysian indigenous group – then launched a legal challenge against the ban on Christians using the term.

Malaysia has largely avoided overt religious conflict in recent decades, but tensions have been growing.

Only 9.2 percent of Malaysia‘s 32 million population are Christians of Chinese, Indian or indigenous backgrounds, while 61.3 percent practice Islam.