Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kuala Lumpur (Agenzia Fides) -The legal controversy over the use of the name "Allah" in Christian publications began three years ago and reached its climax in early 2010. Fides sources in Malaysia say it will probably last much longer, as the country has three levels of courts: the High Court, the Court of Appeal (to which the Malaysian government announced the application), and the Supreme Court. Fides here publishes a chronological list of the main stages of the dispute, marked by uncertainty and an about-face of government:
1995 - The weekly of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, “The Herald” (http://www.heraldmalaysia.com), inaugurates its publications in "Bahasa Malaysia", the majority language of the country, translating the name "God" using "Allah,” as occurs in the Bible in Arabic. The magazine also has editions in English, Tamil, and Chinese, to reach all segments of the Malaysian population.
2006 - The Malaysian Government's National Front (Barisan National) - a coalition led by the UMNO (United Malays National Organization), the majority party in the country, expression of the Malaysian Muslim community - declares publicly that it intends to prevent Christian publications in Malay from using the word "Allah" to refer to God
October 18, 2007 - After months of verbal dispute (the Christians do not accept the imposition), “The Herald” receives the first notification of the Ministry of the Interior, followed by a second letter, dated November 1, which requires closing the Malay-language publications, suspending the license of the weekly newspaper. The Catholic Church decides to appeal to the High Court, the first judicial level.
February 12, 2008 - The Ministry of the Interior sends a new letter setting out the conditions to return the publishing permission to the newspaper: Do not use the term "Allah".
April 25, 2008 - High Court Hearing: Includes the Director of the weekly, Fr. Lawrence Andrei and Archbishop Murphy Pakiam of Kuala Lumpur, Editor of the newspaper. The Church officially presents her appeal.
May 5, 2008 - The High Court upholds the admissibility of the application and starts the court proceedings
January 8, 2009 - The government revokes the ban and allows the publication of “The Herald” in the Malay language, confirming the prohibition of using the word "Allah".
February 26, 2009 - Internal Affairs Minister of Malaysia, Syed Hamid Albar, issues an order that allows Christians to use the word "Allah" to refer to their God, when it appears on publications that are "specifically intended for faithful Christians."
March 2, 2009 - About-face of the government withdraws the authorization granted only a few days before. Following protests by Islamic fundamentalist groups, Interior Minister Syed Hamid Albar publicly states that "the government made a mistake" and announces that the ban remains in force pending the verdict of the Court.
October 2009 – 15,000 Bibles from Indonesia intended for faithful Christians in Malaysia are seized by Malaysian police. The authorities confiscate the Bibles because, in the translation of the text, they contain the term "Allah" to refer to God The Bibles were intended for Christians in the Malaysian region of Sarawak and are in Indonesian language (Bahasa Indonesia), very similar to the Malay version of Bahasa.
December 16, 2009 - Hearing before the High Court of Malaysia. The parties explain their reasons. The Church says that in the Malay language, there is only the word "Allah" to refer to God, saying that it is unconstitutional to apply restrictions on language or religion to Christian Malaysians who speak in the Malay language.
Government lawyers stress that any abuse of the word "Allah" is an insult to the country's official religion (Islam) and the Federal Constitution. According to the Malaysian government, non-use of the word "Allah" does not infringe upon the freedom of religion or the religion of Christians. The High Court announces that will issue the verdict by the end of 2009.
31 December 2009 - The High Court of Justice of Malaysia, in the person of Judge Lau Bee Lan, issues a verdict favorable to the Church, asserting the right of the Catholic weekly “The Herald” to use the word "Allah" to refer to God.
January 4, 2010 - Social networking groups on Facebook begin to spread, calling on Muslims to protest and to defend the name of "Allah."
January 6, 2010 - The government announces that it is appealing against the verdict of the Court. The sentence is suspended, with the agreement of the parties. The Catholic Church, as a matter of "national interest", agrees not to use the word Allah in the publication, until the matter is sub judice.
January 8, 2010 – Internet hackers enter sites of various Christian Churches in Malaysia writing: "Allah is for Muslims." In the early hours of the morning the attacks on churches begin. Gatherings in front of the two main mosques in Kuala Lumpur for Friday prayers feature slogans of protest against Christians.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 12/1/2010)
