The Home Minister has exercised his discretion to prohibit the use of the word "Allah" on grounds of public order and security, although Putrajaya's 10-point solution allows the Malay-language Bible containing the word, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Idris Jala.
Writing in the Star today, Idris (pic), referring to the court case involving Catholid weekly Herald, said many people feared that the newsletter, given its "potentially wide circulation", had a greater propensity to be a tool of Christian propagation.
Propagating any religion other than Islam to Muslims in the country is an offence under Malaysian laws.
Idris said the Court of Appeal has ruled that the use of the word "Allah" in Alkitab, the Malay-language Bible, is different from its use in the Herald, which has a wider distribution and readership.
"The Alkitab is allowed on conditional basis to be used in the church and in the Christian community while Herald is a newsletter that can be accessed by Christians and non-Christian communities," Idris added, saying this was why the court viewed it as a potential threat to public order and security, and cited the attacks on churches in 2010.
In his column piece titled "My Take on the 'Allah' issue", Idris, the main architect of the 10-point solution, said that differences on religious issues should be dealt through dialogue and discussions rather than through the courts.
"However, in the case of Herald, the Titular has exercised his legal rights by taking the first step to take the matter to the High Court, the Court of Appeal and now awaiting, the Supreme Court hearing.
"As this is the highest court in the country, its judgments will be final and definitive," Idris said.
Idris said the 10-point solution, despite allowing Christians and churches to use the Alkitab which contains 34 words prohibited to non-Muslims, did not condone propagation to Muslims.
As such, he said the question of non-Muslims singing the Selangor state anthem which contains the word "Allah" did not arise.
He added that the word "injil" (Arabic for Bible), another prohibited word, was also not prohibited by the federal government and the Selangor state government to be used on his church, Sidang Injil Borneo.
"In fact, in our church, we often pray for our Prime Minister and the leaders of our nation so that God will bless them and grant them the wisdom to lead our nation," he added.
He said the dual rule on Alkitab practised in West and East Malaysia was something normal in many other countries, which would customise national policies, such as the different state laws in the United States.
According to Idris, majority Christians in Sabah and Sarawak have been using the word "Allah" in their indigenous languages even before and after independence, and the Alkitab has been widely distributed freely, without restrictions for years.
In contrast, majority of the people in Peninsular Malaysia are Muslims, and there are already existing Islamic state laws on propagation of non-Islamic faiths to Muslims, he said.
"It is for these reasons that the Federal Government and the state government in Sabah and Sarawak are unanimous in taking the stand that the Alkitab should not have any conditions as those imposed in Peninsular Malaysia.
"The sensitivities of the majority Muslim community in Peninsular Malaysia should be taken into account.
"Furthermore, Christians in Peninsular Malaysia who are Chinese, Indians and others do not normally use Allah in English and their own vernacular language," he added.
Idris however added that it was reasonable to allow minority communities who use "Allah", including the Sikhs, to use the word on a conditional basis.
"Again, the 10-point solution is in line with the spirit of the 18- and 20-point agreements which explicitly state that while Islam is the religion of the Federation, this is not the case in Sabah and Sarawak.
"That said, the final Malaysia Agreement did not have such an explicit provision," he added.
Turning to the raid by Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) on the Bible of Society of Malaysia early this year, Idris said Putrajaya has no power to direct the state to comply with the 10-point solution.
"Having made its position clear at the federal level, that is why two of my cabinet colleagues, Khairy and Nancy, have urged the Selangor government to take a stand and play its part in dealing with this matter from a state perspective," he said, referring to Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Minister in Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri.
He described the 10-point solution as the best and practical compromise despite unhappiness by Christian and Muslim groups.
On October 14 last year, a three-member bench led by Datuk Seri Mohamed Apandi Ali cited a 1986 directive by the Home Ministry prohibiting non-Muslim publications from using four words: “Allah”, “Kaabah”, “Solat” and “Baitullah”.
In his judgment, Apandi said the reason for the prohibition was to protect the sanctity of Islam and prevent any confusion among Muslims, adding that national security and public order could be threatened if Christians used the word "Allah".
The decision sparked an outcry among Christians and other non-Muslims in both the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak. The Catholic church is appealing the decision. - TMI
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