This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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Taking a preemptive measure to avoid unforeseen uprising from the huge Muslim Community in Malaysia, the Home Minister officially banned the use of the word Allah in the Catholic Church’s weekly publication titled The Herald.
“We took almost a year to get the verdict in the High Court… this is not going to be the end of it. This is not a one-off thing. Both sides are going to put all their arguments forward, and this is a major issue,” Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew said.
Putrajaya’s lawyer Suzana Atan said Allah is a very sensitive and religious word, which should not be used recklessly. Suzana explained the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya that the prohibition was necessary to avoid religious riots as the country has Muslim majority and its official religion is Islam.
“The ban was actually a pre-emptive measure by the Minister… The Christians believe in the Holy Trinity while for Muslims, Allah is the only God,” Suzana told the court.
Suzana explained that the minister has complete authority under the Printing, Presses and Publication Act (PPPA) 1984 to impose conditions to maintain public order and morality. She termed it groundless to wait for actual public discord and civil uproar before passing such orders.
The ongoing debate began in 2009 when the ministry warned the Herald from careless use of the word Allah. The Church retaliated and sued the government for depriving it of its constitutional rights. The High Court sided with the church and the Herald was allowed to use the word.
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