Judiciary comes under fire from politicians and lawyers over Allah ruling

The judiciary came under attack from both Muslims and non-Muslims over the decision to ban the Catholic weekly, Herald, from using Allah in the publication with some politicians asking if this was the way forward for Malaysia.

Former law minister Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim tweeted from his handle @zaidibrahim, “Now we have Muslim judges who are experts in Christian religion and theology. They must have spent some time in Vatican.

“Judges need only to apply the law, but in Malaysia they have other extraneous duties to nation to the people to the politicians, etc,” he said in his tweet.

DAP’s Serdang MP Dr Ong Kian Ming was also stunned with the court’s ruling when he tweeted via his twitter handle @imokman, “Wow, the judges should talk to their Christian friends in East Malaysia".

Marina Mahathir through @netraKL also said, “Ironic. On the eve of Abraham (pbuh)’s sacrifice of what he loved most, we are unwilling to sacrifice what we love most, our pride".

Constitutional lawyer Syahredzan Johan also tweeted sarcastically, “Disappointing? Yes. Expected? Yes”.

Through his twitter handle @syahredzan, he said, “Judges should remember the oath they took to uphold the constitution. If they can’t do that, then stop being judges.

“Now they want to extend the ban to Borneo churches. Next they will go for the Sikh’s holy book,” he said, referring to Muslim groups who also want Borneo churches banned from using Allah.

Lawyers for Liberty also expressed dismay when it tweeted via @lawyers4liberty, “Time and time again we have been let down by the judiciary who only pay(s) lip-service to the constitution".

Lawyer Edmund Bon @edmundbon also tweeted “How are we to forge national “unity”?

Earlier today, a three-man Court of Appeal bench, in a unanimous decision, banned the Catholic church from using the word Allah in the Bahasa Malaysia section of their weekly, Herald, to refer to God.

Judge Datuk Seri Mohamed Apandi Ali who led the bench said, "It is our common finding that the name Allah was not an integral part of the Christian faith and practice. Such usage if allowed will enviably cause confusion within the community".

The Allah row erupted in early 2009 when the Home Ministry threatened to revoke Herald’s permit for using the word Allah to refer to God in the Bahasa Malaysia section of the weekly publication. This prompted the Archdioces of Kuala Lumpur, which publishes Herald, to sue the government for violating its constitutional rights.

On December 31, 2009, the High Court allowed the church's judicial review application and lifted the Home Minister's ban on the use of the word in Herald.

The church can now appeal this decision in the Federal Court but it has to obtain leave by framing legal questions which are of public interest.