Ban on non-Muslim use of ‘Allah’ upheld in Malaysia

A government ban on non-Muslims in Malaysia using the word "Allah" to refer to God has been upheld by an appeal court.

The country’s Christian, Buddhist and Hindu minorities had complained the ban infringed their constitutional right to practice religion freely, which the government denies.

Confusion
Allah is the Arabic word for God and is commonly used in the Malay language to refer to God. But the government insists that it should be exclusively reserved for Muslims because of concerns its use by others would confuse Muslims and could be used to convert them.

The judgment in the court of appeals overturns a decision by a lower court some four years ago that ruled against the ban. Anger over that ruling sparked a string of arson attacks and vandalism at Malaysian churches and other places of worship.

The legal dispute stems from efforts by the newspaper of the Catholic Church in Malaysia to use "Allah" in its Malay-language weekly publication. Catholic representatives deny there are attempts to convert Muslims and say the ban is unreasonable because Christians who speak the Malay language had long used "Allah" in their Bibles, literature and songs before authorities sought to enforce the curb in recent years.

Judge Mohamed Apandi Ali, who led a three-member appeals court panel, said the use of "Allah" was "not an integral part of the faith and practice of Christianity".– (AP)