KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — After five years of locking horns, Muslims and Christians nationwide will move a step closer today to finding out who may use “Allah”, the Arabic word in the centre of a religious firestorm that has put both major faiths on divergent paths.

But whichever way the decision goes, the buck is unlikely to stop at the panel of judges at today’s Court of Appeal hearing.

Another appeal can best be expected at the apex Federal Court after today’s decision is handed down, prolonging the dispute even further and adding greater strain on religious ties in multiracial Malaysia.

Although the case is largely a dispute between the publisher of Catholic weekly the Herald and the Home Ministry, it has expanded into a wider debate between Christians and Muslims here, who have been waiting eagerly for today’s decision since a full-day appeal hearing last month.

Dr Arnold Puyok, a Sabah-based analyst, said the case was significant in deciding the direction of relations between different faith groups in the country.

“I think the decision of the court is crucial in determining the course of interfaith relations in Malaysia. Whatever the court’s decision is, it is to be respected by all.

“But a more permanent solution must be worked out by the government taking into account the 1 Malaysia spirit it espouses,” the academic wrote in a text message to The Malay Mail Online when contacted.

The case, which represents a tug-of-war between the Muslims and non-Muslims over the right to use the word “Allah”, had at one point led to a one-off series of attacks on house of worships in the country.

When contacted yesterday, Father Lawrence Andrew, the Herald’s editor, recited his oft-repeated reminder that Christians have been using the word “Allah” in their religious practice for a long time, adding that the court’s aid was merely sought to restore their right to freedom of religion.

“The case reflects the struggle of minority Christians to reclaim our dignity as free citizens of this country. As Christians, we have been deprived of our culture and religious practices of many centuries by the restrictions that have been imposed on us.

“Through the courts, we hope we will find the recognition of our rights or the restoration of our rights so that we can live as brothers and sisters in the country — the very Christian aspect of loving your neighbour,” he told The Malay Mail Online.

The Catholic Church had brought the case to court in 2009 after it felt that its constitutional rights were violated by the Home Ministry’s banning of the word “Allah” in the Herald’s Bahasa Malaysia section that caters to Bumiputera Christians.

In December 2009, the Kuala Lumpur High Court made a landmark decision when it upheld the Catholic Church’s constitutional right to use the word “Allah”, ruling that the Home Ministry’s decision was illegal, null and void.

But in January 2010, the Home Ministry filed an appeal against the High Court’s ruling, with the appeal only being heard over three years later on September 10, 2013.

During the appeal hearing, the Church had argued that the word predates Islam and that Christians’ right to use “Allah” in a non-Muslim context was affirmed by the government’s own 10-point solution issued in 2011.

Lawrence pointed out that Muslims and Christians in the Middle East and Indonesia are able to use the Arabic word without conflict or confusion, arguing that the barring of local Christians from using the word “Allah” was a violation of Article 11 of the Federal Constitution relating to the right to freedom of religion.

“When we are prevented from using the word ‘Allah’, we indeed experience persecution and this is a violation of our tradition and practice which is safeguarded in our Constitution,” he said.

“This is curtailing our religious freedom, our rights, and in some ways subtly challenging us or depriving us of our citizenship — make one less a citizen in the country where we have been born and bred. This is gross injustice,” he claimed, indicating that the legal challenge mounted by the Catholic Church in 2009 was necessary to prevent any further curtailing of Christians’ rights.

Father Lawrence arrives for a court hearing at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya, August 22, 2013. — Picture by Choo Choy May

When asked to comment on the expected gathering of Muslim NGOs’ representatives at the Court of Appeal, Lawrence said: “We want peace and harmony. We want to be good citizens of the country. We all work together for a better nation, for a better Malaysia. Our motto is ‘unity is strength’.”

Perkasa, a Malay rights group that also champions Islam, chose to remain tight-lipped about today’s highly-anticipated decision, however.

Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali, who said he would be at court today, would only say that it was “premature” to comment before the Court of Appeal delivers its decision.

Its secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali similarly told The Malay Mail Online that they would wait for the court decision but added that around 1,000 Perkasa supporters are expected to turn up today at the Court of Appeal.

Dr Yusri Mohamad, the chairman of Pembela, confirmed that members from the coalition of Muslim groups “will attend court to hear (the) decision first hand”, while saying those who are unable to squeeze into the courtroom while wait outside.

A section of the crowd praying outside the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya on August 22, 2013 while waiting for the hearing of the Catholic Church’s appeal on the ‘Allah’ case. — Picture by Choo Choy May

“Our presence (is) to show our level of concern and to convey that this is a big issue to us as Muslims.

“As Muslims, our presence is also a form of our prayer to Allah that the decision will be the right one,” he told The Malay Mail Online when contacted yesterday, saying that between 50 to 100 representatives from around 20 Muslim NGOs would be present.

Yusri said it would be “good if people learn from this and avoid taking positions (that) are against the position of Islam in our scheme of things”.

“We pray and hope for the best but if turns out otherwise we will continue our struggle by appealing and continue to put our views across,” he said of the results.

Christians make up Malaysia’s third-largest religious community at 2.6 million, according to statistics from the 2010 consensus while Muslims are the country’s largest at 61.3 per cent of its 28 million people.

Out of the 2.6 million local Christians, over 60 per cent or an estimated 1.6 million are Bumiputera from east Malaysia who have been using the word “Allah” in the practice of their faith in Bahasa Malaysia and their native tongue.