THE Kuala Lumpur High Court has made the right decision in allowing Christians to use the word “Allah” and people should respect the ruling, said the country’s leading interfaith group. 

Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) president R.S. Mohan Shan said the decision was right as everyone has the right to freedom of religion.

“There is nothing wrong in using the word Allah (for God).

“We hope that the country will accept the ruling and respect the rule of law,” Mohan Shan told The Malaysian Insight. 

Earlier today, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Sarawakian Christian Jill Ireland can use the word “Allah” to practise her religion. 

Judge Nor Bee Ariffin also said that the Home Ministry directive in 1986, banning the use of Allah as well as other words, is unlawful and unconstitutional, and that the Sarawakian Bumiputera woman had been denied her rights to practise her religion.

Lawyer Annou Xavier, who represented Jill Ireland, also said the court’s judgement meant that “Allah” can be used in the whole of Malaysia, and not just Sabah and Sarawak where most Christians are indigenous Bumiputera.

Mohan Shan said the ruling must not be turned into a sensitive or racial issue.

“We all live peacefully together, so we have to try and understand each other. We humbly call on the people to accept the decision.”

During proceedings, Nor Bee, who is a Court of Appeal justice who sat as high court judge, also acknowledged the fact that Christian communities in Sabah and Sarawak have been using “Allah” for generations in the practise of their faith.

“Allah”, which is Arabic for “God”, is used in Bahasa Malaysia, which has been the language used by these Bumiputera Christian communities.

“The fact that they have been using it for 400 years cannot be ignored,” Nor Bee said.

Jill Ireland filed her legal challenge in 2008 after eight CDs of educational Christian material containing the word “Allah” were seized from her at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on her return from Indonesia.

In her suit, she sought official recognition of her constitutional rights to practise her religion and non-discrimination under Article 11 and 8 of the constitution.

In 2014, the high court ruled in her favour and found that the Home Ministry was wrong to seize the CDs, ordering their return to Jill Ireland as well as to pay her RM5,000 in costs. However, the high court then did not address the constitutional points raised. – March 10, 2021.