THE ruling by the Kuala Lumpur High Court that Christians could also use the Arab word ‘Allah’ to refer to God has affirmed the feelings, sentiments and appreciation of the true meaning of the word for all Malaysians, Yayasan Perpaduan Sarawak (YPS) chief executive Aloysius J. Dris said.

Reacting to the Wednesday decision by Justice Nor Bee Ariffin, Dris said there “is no winning or losing in this issue”.

“It just affirms perceptions and sentiments, especially of the people here in Sarawak, regardless of their religion.

“The high court’s decision has affirmed that all Malaysians are free to practice their respective religions and that freedom of religion is very much respected.”

As Muslim groups and the Perikatan Nasional federal government mull on an appeal, Dris said Malaysians should instead move on and strengthen “our understanding amongst each other’s differences as we continue to learn how to appreciate each other’s way of worship”.

The use of the word ‘Allah’ by Christians in Sarawak has never been an issue.

However, they were prevented from using it when travelling in the peninsula, as Malay-language Bibles could be seized if they contain the word Allah.

There has been no such restriction in Sarawak since 2014, when then chief minister Adenan Satem told the state’s large Christian population that he will not follow the rules and directive of the peninsula that curbed non-Muslims from using the word.

Adenan, who died in 2017 from heart complications, also said there is no law in Sarawak that restricts non-Muslims in Sarawak from using the word Allah in their prayers and in their literature.

He also gave assurance that the state would not legislate any laws that would curb their use of the word.

The assurance came after Selangor sparked uncertainties in Sarawak when its religious authorities (Jais) raided the Bible Society of Malaysia premises in January 2014 and seized hundreds of Malay-language Bibles containing the word Allah.

The Bibles were meant for Christians in Sabah and Sarawak.

Two-thirds of Christians in Malaysia are Bumiputera and are largely based in Sabah and Sarawak, where they routinely use Bahasa Malaysia and indigenous languages in their worship. – March 12, 2021.