Nazri: East Malaysian Christians can't use 'Allah' in peninsula

Christians in Sabah and Sarawak can continue to use 'Allah' in their home states but must avoid the word when they are in Peninsular Malaysia, a cabinet minister said today.

Elaborating on his support for the Court of Appeal's decision to back a Home Ministry ban on the use of the word ‘Allah' by The Herald, Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz (left) said East Malaysian culture was different from the peninsula and the two should not be mixed.

While Christians can continue using ‘Allah' in Sabah and Sarawak because that is a century-old practice, in the peninsula, they must mind sensitivities.

"It is not practised in Peninsular Malaysia. Because of that, I protest against it (the use of 'Allah' by Christians). I don't care what others are saying," Nazri told reporters.

"So, don't kick up a fuss. For Christians from Sabah and Sarawak, when they come here, they need to follow the customs and traditions in the peninsula," he added.

Nazri said differences were not so hard to accept. When Peninsular Malaysians visit Sabah and Sarawak, they had to show their passports to get into the Borneo states, but not the other way around.

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