SULTAN of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar today said the federal government should carefully assess the implications of its recent decision to withdraw the appeal in the court case relating to the use of the word “Allah’.

In a statement posted on the sultan’s Facebook page, he said this is because the decision is closely related to issues within the boundaries of Islam and the sentiments of Muslims in the country.

“The regulation, control, enforcement and standardisation relating to the word of ‘Allah’ needs to be detailed without jeopardising the fatwa (edict) and state enactments so that harmony and unity in our multiracial society are maintained,” he said.

“I remain of the opinion that the publication, printing, broadcasting and distribution of any material that misleads the people, especially Muslims, will not be allowed in Johor in line with the position of Islam in the Johor Constitution 1895.

“In Johor, the fatwa gazetted on June 4, 2009, clearly states that the use of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims is not required, not permitted but prohibited and forbidden.”

Apart from that, Sultan Ibrahim said, Johor also has the Control and Restriction of the Propagation of Non-Islamic Religious Enactment 1991, which prohibits the use of words that are reserved exclusively for Muslims and cannot be used by non-Muslims except in circumstances permitted by law, such as in the Johor state anthem. – Bernama, May 24, 2023.