Administrative directive on 'Allah' word issued soon - home minister

 

An administrative order on the use of the word ‘Allah’ will be issued soon, said Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin.

He said the directive would be issued under existing acts, including the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.

“The existing acts give the minister the power to issue directives... this is what we will do.

“This directive needs to be issued as soon as possible so as to avoid any problem arising as people will still make publications,” he told reporters after a roundtable discussion in Putrajaya today.

On March 10, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that non-Muslims nationwide can use the word ‘Allah’ and three other Arabic words in their religious publications for educational purposes. The three other words are Baitullah, Kaabah, and solat.

However, the Home Ministry and the Malaysian government filed an appeal against the High Court's decision at the High Court Registrar's Office on March 15.

Hamzah said the directive would provide a clear understanding of the use of the word "Allah" to all parties.

He said discussions regarding the issue and actions that could be taken had also been conducted with representatives of Islam and other religions.

“The directive will also take into account the constitution and state laws,” he said.

- Bernama