KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 ― Tan Sri Rais Yatim is wasting a local Islamic university’s funds to research the “Allah” row from a religious standpoint, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said today when noting the dispute was not a matter of faith.

The former law minister pointed out that the tussle between Muslims and non-Muslims here over the Arabic word was not a religious battle but an argument on linguistics.

“Rais wasting money again. Allah is not a religious issue so research in the Holy Books wasting time. It’s a linguistic one,” Zaid wrote in a Twitter posting this morning.

He was referring to a report in which the Cabinet veteran announced plans for the International Islamic University of Malaysia (UIAM) to use its team of researchers to dissect the unresolved argument over who has exclusive rights to use “Allah”.

Rais, who is also UIAM’s president, was quoted as saying in a report on Bernama today that the effort would help ensure that any attempt by certain parties to divert the faith of Muslims would be foiled.

“We must hold on to clear research works. The word ‘Allah’ is not found in any scriptures whether in the Psalms, Torah or Gospel,” he was quoted as telling reporters after officiating the Maulidur Rasul celebration at the Jami’il Huda Mosque, in Ampang, here yesterday.

But Zaid reminded Rais that non-Muslims elsewhere across the globe have used “Allah” for a variety of reasons to refer to their God for a long time.

He said non-Muslims in Malaysia should be accorded the same right.

“Since when Muslims here claim proprietary right to the word?” he asked.

“Can u register your right for exclusive use of certain name for God? If no then on what basis u ground your claim,” he said in another Twitter posting.

Last October, the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court ruling that had favoured the Catholic Church in its suit against the Home Ministry after the Herald was banned from publishing the word “Allah”.

Tan Sri Rais Yatim has announced plans for the International Islamic University of Malaysia (UIAM) to use its team of researchers to dissect the unresolved argument over who has exclusive rights to use ‘Allah’. — AFP pic

The case is now pending a March 5 hearing for leave to appeal at the Federal Court.

Religious tensions deepened when shortly after the October court verdict, the Selangor Sultan issued a decree last November prohibiting non-Muslims from referring to God as “Allah”, citing a 1988 state law that bans such usage.

On January 3, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) moved to enforce the ban and raided the office of a bible distributor before carting off with over 300 Malay and Iban language bibles that contain the word “Allah”.

Church groups and lawmakers bristled at the move and accused the authorities of violating the 10-point solution mooted by Cabinet in 2011 to resolve the issue.

The 10-point solution, issued by the Najib administration shortly before the Sarawak state election in 2011, allowed for bibles in Malay and indigenous languages to be printed, imported and distributed nationwide with certain conditions imposed for Peninsula Malaysia.

Christians make up close to 10 per cent of the Malaysian population, or 2.6 million. Almost two-thirds of them are Bumiputera and are largely based in Sabah and Sarawak, where they routinely use Bahasa Malaysia and indigenous languages in their religious practices, including describing God as “Allah” in their prayers and holy book.