THERE are no restrictions against the use of the word “Allah” for Christians in Sarawak, said the Chief Minister’s Office today.

Sarawak chief minister Abang Johari Openg said this today in response to the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s landmark decision last week that Sarawakian Bumiputera Christian Jill Ireland can use the word “Allah” to practise her religion.

Several peninsular-based political parties and Muslim groups objected to the court’s decision as it was a green light for non-Muslims to use the word ‘Allah’, an Arabic word for god.

The Home Ministry is appealing the court’s decision.

Earlier today Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar urged Putrajaya to continue its appeal against the High Court’s ruling on the matter.

Abang Johari however reiterated there has never been a restriction for Christians in Sarawak to use the word Allah.

“It has to be made clear that the GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) government, from former chief minister Adenan’s administration (until)… now the current administration, the state government’s policy on religious tolerance in Sarawak is consistent.”

The CMO statement said the government “will continue to defend and preserve Sarawak’s religious tolerance”.

Religious tolerance, it added, was the core unifying factor for the people in the state.

Adenan Satem, who died in office in 2017, three years earlier in 2014 said there was no law in Sarawak that restricts non-Muslims in Sarawak from using the word Allah in their prayers and in their literature.

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

The assurance came after the Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais), in January 2014, raided the Bible Society of Malaysia premises and seized hundreds of Malay language Bibles containing the word Allah that were destined for Sabah and Sarawak to enforce the 1986 federal government administrative directive prohibiting the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims.

Adenan said apart from there being no law to ban it, Allah has been used by native-speaking Christians in their prayers since the introduction of Christianity to the state.

In Sarawak, the Iban refer to God as ‘Allah Taala’, the Bidayuh ‘Tuhan Alla’ while the Lun Bawangs, Lun Dayehs and Kelabits use ‘Tuhan Allah’.

“Our deed in assisting other religions through Unifor (Unit for other religion) is a testimony.

“The GPS leadership trust that the people will not be influenced by the tactic of casting doubt and aspersion on the government’s stance but continue to stand firm to protect religious unity in Sarawak,” the CMO statement said.

Selangau MP Baru Bian today also divulged that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, when he was the minister of home affairs in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, had rejected attempts to settle the issue.

Baru, who was the works minister in the PH government, which collapsed in February last year, said he and several other ministers made the effort to have the Allah issue settled out of court.

He said the attempts were thwarted by Muhyiddin.

The court’s decision on March 10 held that Jill Ireland had been deprived of her constitutional right to practise her religion.

In a suit filed in 2008, Jill sought official recognition of her constitutional rights to practise her religion and non-discrimination under Article 11 and 8 of the federal constitution.

She filed her suit 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. – March 18, 2021.