CHURCH leaders  and politicians in Sarawak today lauded Putrajaya’s decision to withdraw its appeal against a High Court ruling allowing Christians to use the word “Allah” to refer to God.

“We welcome and applaud the federal government’s wise decision,” Kuching Anglican bishop Danald Jute said.

He remained wary of the fickle-mindedness of Putrajaya when it comes to matters relating to religion.

He said he is reserving further comment until he hears what Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution has to say at a media conference later today.

Ba’kelalan assemblyman and Sijil Indang Borneo church elder Baru Bian said the decision was “welcomed with much gladness”.

Baru said the end of the appeal “offers a resolution in the interest of peace and harmony, mutual respect for adherents of other religions who for centuries and over many generations have used the word ‘Allah’ in their worship and their holy books”.

He said he hoped all parties will respect the decision.

“As a Malaysian living in one of the Borneo states, I wish to affirm our freedom of religion and the use of the word ‘Allah’ for Sabah and Sarawak under the Malaysia Agreement 1963. Without the Borneo states, there would be no Malaysia,” he added.

The federal government in 2021 filed an appeal over a High Court ruling that people of other faiths could use the word “Allah” to describe God.

High Court judge Nor Bee Ariffin, in her decision, called the Home Ministry’s 1986 directive to prohibit the use of the four words by non-Muslims “illegal” and “irrational”.

Parti Sarawak Bersatu secretary-general said the Quran itself and Muslim scholars have acknowledged the use of the word “Allah” by Christians and that “nothing is written about it being objectionable or confusing to Muslims”.

Baru said the Printing Press and Publications Act 1988, which the federal government invoked to ban the usage, does not authorise the banning of words.

He said the Home Ministry had exceeded its powers with the order, and that such a prohibition was against unconstitutional.

On the enactments passed by several states in West Malaysia prohibiting the use of “Allah” by non-Muslims, Baru said they could be challenged.

“It must be noted that there is no power given to the states to do so under the constitution, which only allows states to control or restrict the propagation of other religions to Muslims.

“If these states insist that the ban on the use of Allah is constitutional, they can attempt to enforce their enactments and deal with the consequent challenges. It is not for the federal government to do so under the printing press act.”

Pro-independence politician Voon Lee Shan said forbidding other religions to use the word “Allah” is “discriminatory and against the principle of equality under the law”.

The Parti Bumi Kenyalang president said the word has been used by Christians in the Malay language Bible since the 19th century without any problems.

He said Christian use of the word has never caused any confusion and threatened public order and national security.

Voon said the federal constitution must be respected so that the country does not sink into chaos and strife.

Social activist Peter John Jaban said the decision “respects the longstanding practices of the indigenous people of Sarawak”.

He said by not pursuing a divisive issue, the government will “preserve racial and religious harmony of the nation and also the secular nature of the court system in which decisions are made according to the constitution and legal precedent instead of political pressure from special interest groups”.

“This issue has been causing discord for some time, tying up an indigenous Sarawakian in court for many years and also forcing the courts to decide ownership of a word which has been used in good faith in East Malaysia for 400 years,” the Global Human Rights Federation deputy president said.

He hoped the federal government would not be unduly influenced by the various religious councils or pressure groups to make a u-turn on the decision.

“I hope that they choose instead to respect the religious freedom enshrined in our constitution and allow the Sarawak Christians to continue in their peaceful worship. 

“The word ‘Allah’ should not be a battleground. It should be a beacon of solidarity.” – May 16, 2023.