Malaysian court rules non-Muslims can use ‘Allah’
The HinduA Malaysian court ruled on March 10 that non-Muslims can use the word “Allah” to refer to God, in a major decision in a divisive issue for religious freedom in the Muslim-majority country. The High Court decision squashed a 35-year-old government ban on the usage of “Allah” and three other Arabic words by Christian publications, deeming the ban unconstitutional, said the plaintiff's lawyer, Annou Xavier. The High Court ruling appeared to contradict an earlier decision by the country’s Federal Court in 2014 that upheld the government ban following a legal challenge by the Roman Catholic Church, which had used the word “Allah” in its Malay-language newsletter. The ruling was a result of a long legal challenge by a Christian woman whose religious materials containing the word “Allah” were seized by authorities at the airport when she returned home from Indonesia in 2008.
History of this topic
Malaysia's top court invalidates Sharia state laws, provoking Islamist backlash
The Independent
Malaysian court rules non-Muslims can use ‘Allah’
Associated Press
Malaysian court rules non-Muslims can use 'Allah'
The IndependentDiscover Related
)
)
