Use of the word 'Allah' by non-Muslims restricted to East Malaysia, govt to amend laws: PM Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday (May 23) pledged that the government will amend and revoke all laws that are in conflict with a Rulers Council's decision that the word “Allah” can only be used by Muslims in the Malaysian Peninsula, and with restrictions for non-Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak.

During Prime Minister's Question (PMQ) time in parliament, Mr Anwar said this was to ensure that the issue may no longer be contested in any courts, after the 2021 landmark decision in the Jill Ireland case where Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Nor Bee Ariffin ruled the government had erred in issuing the 1986 ban on the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims.

“On the advice of the attorney general, the decision is to streamline all related regulations. Otherwise, if we appeal, the case may surface again because of existing conflicts.

“So, because of that we are putting an end by amending all regulations to make it clear and no further cases can be brought to court,” Mr Anwar said during PMQ time on Tuesday.

He said this in response to Mr Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Baru) who urged the government to justify its decision to withdraw an appeal in the Ireland case.

Prior to that, Mr Anwar also announced that the government will present a proposal to the Conference of Rulers in July on the usage of "Allah" for non-Muslims in the country.

He told parliament that the root cause of the issue was due to the contradicting directives from the administration and Home Ministry back in 1996, hence, the current government wishes to streamline all regulations revolving around the matter.

"Although there were differences in opinion, some agreed that it (the use of the word) could be allowed for the non-Muslims (in general). They, however, are personal views," he added.

Previously, Mr Anwar said that persisting with the appeal in the “Allah” court dispute with a Sarawakian Christian would have been futile after a 1986 Cabinet and the Conference of Rulers had decided that non-Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak could use the word under certain conditions.

On April 18, the government and the home minister withdrew its appeal against the High Court's 2021 decision in Jill Ireland's case, which had quashed the Home Ministry's December 1986 directive which banned the use of the word “Allah” in Christian publications in Malaysia.

The High Court had declared the Home Ministry's December 1986 directive to be “unconstitutional and unlawful”, as it contradicted and was inconsistent with the Cabinet's May 1986 policy decision regarding the use of the word “Allah”.

The High Court’s 2021 decision did not touch on theology or religious debate, but was based purely on legal and constitutional issues as well as all available evidence presented in court including historical documents — which documented the use of the word “Allah” in Christian publications in Malay as early as the year 1629.

News of the appeal withdrawal was reported on May 15, which was confirmed by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

On May 19, Mr Saifuddin took to Twitter to explain that the court case involved an administrative issue linked to the government's 2008 seizure of eight compact discs from Jill Ireland.

The eight CDs contained the word “Allah” and were for her personal use as she was a Melanau Christian whose primary language was Bahasa Malaysia.

Mr Saifuddin said that the Anwar administration would as a “responsible government” study a more comprehensive directive to handle the issue of the usage of the word “Allah”, since the old Home Ministry directive in 1986 — which contradicted the Cabinet's May 1986 decision — could not be used or applied.

The word “Allah” is Arabic for God and had been adopted into the Malay language and has been used for generations and hundreds of years by Malay-speaking Christians in the country — especially those from Sabah and Sarawak — in the practice of their religion and professing of their faith. THE MALAY MAIL