Azalina: Umno ministers to raise 'Allah' issue in cabinet meeting

 

Umno ministers will raise the government’s decision to withdraw its appeal against a landmark ruling allowing a non-Muslim Sarawakian to use the word during the cabinet meeting tomorrow.

Party information chief Azalina Othman Said said the issue must be handled with care as it involved religious sensitivities.

“More in-depth scrutiny is needed to handle this matter fairly for all parties involved.

“A comprehensive solution must be discussed and reached, including from a legal and non-legal perspective,” added the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) in a statement this afternoon.

Azalina said Umno will continue to stand firm and defend Islam as the official religion of the federation while respecting the freedom of religion as enshrined in the Federal Constitution. 

Malaysiakini reported yesterday that Putrajaya had withdrawn its appeal against a 2021 High Court ruling allowing Jill Ireland, a Melanau Christian, to use the word “Allah” for religious and educational purposes.

Besides the federal government, the other appellant was the home minister (who was not named in the cause papers).

The notice of discontinuance was filed at the Court of Appeal on April 18. The government's appeal was against this verdict.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said it was his ministry’s decision which led the government to withdraw its appeal.

He clarified today that the government’s decision came after it discovered a contradiction between a 1986 cabinet decision and an administrative order issued by the Home Ministry the same year.

The contradiction was found by the ministry during the appeal application process after the March 21, 2021 decision by High Court judge Nor Bee Ariffin who said the directive to prohibit the use of the four words by non-Muslims 35 years ago as “illegal” and “irrational”. 

He added that the Home Ministry was reviewing and updating a more comprehensive directive in a bid to deal with issues pertaining to the use of the word “Allah” and three other words in religious publications.

The other words involved are “baitullah”, “solat” and “kaabah”. - Mkini