ASIA/MALAYSIA - Decision on controversy between Church and government regarding use of “Allah” scheduled for year's end

Kuala Lumpur (Agenzia Fides) – The Catholic community is hopeful as it awaits the conclusion of the controversial story of the use of the word "Allah" in Christian publications. The Supreme Court of Malaysia has in fact announced that December 30 it will issue the verdict for the judicial appeal launched by the Catholic Church against the Malaysian government in February 2009. The action was taken after the veto imposed by the executive of using the word "Allah" to refer to God - commonly used in the Malay language – in columns of the weekly “Catholic Herald.”
As the Malaysian Church tells Fides, the parties presented their arguments to the Court and the sentence is fixed for the end of the year. The Church told the Court that in the Malay language, there is only the word "Allah" to refer to God, and it is therefore unconstitutional to apply restrictions on language or worship for Malaysian Christians who speak the Malay language.
According to the government, any abuse of the word "Allah", is an insult to the country's official religion (Islam) and the Federal Constitution. "The plaintiffs - said the Malaysian executive branch - have not proved that the restriction infringes their freedom of worship or religion." The ban is intended only to protect Islam, he says.
According to observers, the case set a precedent on whether the Internal Affairs Minister can intervene on matters of doctrine concerning the life of religious communities and violate their freedom.
In recent weeks, Malaysian police confiscated more than 15,000 bibles from Indonesia, creating confusion and bewilderment in the Christian community, with the claim that the translation of the text contained the term "Allah" to refer to God. The Bibles were being sent to Christians in the Malaysian region of Sarawak. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 17/12/2009)