KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — The Court of Appeal’s ruling that the word “Allah” is exclusive to Muslims should not affect Putrajaya’s 10-point solution on the Al-Kitab, Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Maximus Ongkili said today.
The energy, green technology and water minister pointed out that the 10-point solution, which was issued by the Najib administration in 2011, allows Christians in East Malaysia to use the Arabic word to describe their god.
“The outcome of the Appeal Court’s ruling should in no way affect this decision,” Ongkili said in a statement from Korea today, where he is attending the 22nd World Energy Congress.
“I hope every Malaysian will continue to maintain the spirit of unity and stability in this country, and not let this issue divide the people,” added the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) deputy president.
The 10-point solution issued by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s government allows the printing, importation and distribution of the Al-Kitab, the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Christian bible, that contains the word “Allah”.
The Najib administration issued the 10-point solution shortly before the Sarawak state election to end a Home Ministry blockade of shipments of Christian holy scriptures in the Malay language.
The Cabinet, through Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jala, stated in the resolution that the large Bumiputera Christian population in Sabah and Sarawak could use their holy books in the Malay, Indonesian, and indigenous languages.
On Monday, the Court of Appeal ruled against a High Court decision allowing the Catholic Church to refer to the Christian god with the Middle Eastern word “Allah” in the Bahasa Malaysia section of its weekly newsletter, the Herald.
The court adjudged the usage of the word “Allah” as not integral to the Christian faith and said that allowing such an application would cause confusion in the Muslim community.
Sabah and Sarawak churches, however, have maintained that they will continue their age-old practice of addressing God as “Allah” in their prayer services and in the Al-Kitab.
Archbishop Datuk Bolly Lapok, chairman of the Association of Churches in Sarawak, said recently that it was “utterly irresponsible” and “grossly demeaning, to say the least”, for the appellate court to rule that the use of the word “Allah” was not integral to the Christian faith.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar reportedly said yesterday that the Court of Appeal’s controversial decision only applied to the publication of the word “Allah” in the Herald, but that such a ruling would not be enforceable by any government agency.
He was also quoted as saying that the prime minister could propose in the Dewan Rakyat, a law to exclude Sarawak and Sabah from coming under the ban, and thus override the court decision on Allah without taking away the powers of the judiciary.
De facto law minister Nancy Shukri was also reported by English paper The Star today as saying that the court ruling was restricted to the Catholic weekly.
