THE Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) and Johor Islamic Religious Council (MAIJ) have applied to intervene in the government’s appeal against a High Court’s ruling on a Sarawak native Christian’s right to use the word Allah in her religious education.

Lawyer Annou Xavier, representing Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, when contacted, told Bernama that both MAIWP and MAIJ have filed their intervenor applications.

The appeal by the Home Ministry and the government came up for case management online today.

Xavier said the court fixed July 12 for further case management to enable the Attorney-General’s Chambers to file the records of appeal and also for the parties to file their respective affidavits to the proposed intervenors’ applications.

MAIWP’s lawyer, Fakhrul Azwan Abu Hasan, when contacted, confirmed the filing of the intervenor application by MAIWP.

This is MAIWP’s second attempt to intervene in Jill Ireland’s case. Previously, MAIWP filed an intervenor’s application before the High Court but it only allowed MAIWP to be amicus curiae (friend of the court) to assist the court for deliberation.

On March 10, this year, the High Court in Kuala Lumpur, in a landmark decision, ruled that Christians nationwide can use the word Allah and three other Arabic words in their religious publications for educational purposes.

Justice Nor Bee Ariffin, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, had allowed Jill Ireland’s judicial review and granted her three declaratory orders, including a declaration that she had the constitutional right under Articles 3, 8, 11 and 12 of the federal constitution to import the publications in exercise of her right to practise her religion and right to education.

She ruled that a 1986 Home Ministry directive of banning the use of the words Allah, Baitullah, Kaabah and solat by non-Muslims was unlawful and unconstitutional.

The Home Ministry and the government subsequently filed the appeal on March 15 against Justice Nor Bee’s decision. – Bernama, June 8, 2021.