KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — Malaysians eager to test the limits of how far they can expand their faiths are the cause of growing religious friction in the country, said Cabinet member Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

Defending Putrajaya against allegations that it was fomenting religious divisions as part of a political power play, the urban wellbeing, housing and local government minister insisted the religious strife was largely due to people’s desire to expand their spheres of influence.

“First and foremost, everybody wants to test the envelope, whether it will it break or not.

“Everybody is pushing the envelope. Muslims are pushing the envelope, the non-Muslims are pushing the envelope, you know. So, everybody is trying to test the system,” Abdul Rahman told Malay Mail Online in a recent interview.

Religious ties have been strained in Malaysia during recent years, particularly over a high-profile legal tussle between Muslims and Christians over “Allah”, the Arabic word for God.

In 2008, the Home Ministry prohibited the Catholic Church from printing “Allah” in the Malay language section of its Herald newsletter, prompting the Church to sue for what it claimed was Christians’ constitutional right to use the word.

The six-year long legal battle ended in defeat this year when the Federal Court chose not to hear an appeal against a 2013 decision denying the Catholic newsletter from using the Arabic word for God.

Although technically limited to the case of the Catholic Church and the Herald, the decision has been taken to mean Muslim exclusivity over the term “Allah”.

The continued friction between the two faiths can also be traced to allegations of Christian efforts to proselytise to Muslims — illegal in Malaysia — that manifested in a controversial protest that forced a church in Selangor to remove its cross two months ago.

Such incidents were why Putrajaya must intervene on the attempts to keep pushing the proverbial envelope, Abdul Rahman explained.

“Now imagine if it breaks, chaos will ensue. So this is where the government has to step in and say 'No,'” he said, adding that it is not the government's intention to encroach on religious freedom.

In April, about 50 Taman Medan Muslim residents staged a protest against the Community of Praise Petaling Jaya Church for putting up a cross on its façade, claiming the act was a challenge to Islam and could influence young Muslims.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak later said the police will investigate the incident and take action under the Sedition Act and other laws if the protesters are found to have acted unlawfully.

Around 40 individuals were investigated over the protest last month, but no charges have yet to be filed against anyone.

Amendments to the Sedition Act 1948 were also passed in April that will make it an offence to cause ill-will on the basis of religion.