PM: Court ruling on Jill Ireland's Allah case only applicable in Sarawak

 

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today indicated that the Kuala Lumpur High Court's ruling in the Jill Ireland case regarding the use of the word “Allah” by Christians, is only applicable to Sarawak.

He said this as Sarawak has its own rules regarding the matter.

"This is specific to Sarawak. Sarawak is not tied to other states' decisions.

"So (the ruling) does not apply to Malacca, Penang, Selangor, no. It is specific to Sarawak," Anwar told reporters in Malacca today.

He said this when asked to comment on the government's decision to withdraw its appeal in the Ireland case.

In 2021, judge Nor Bee Ariffin ruled that the government erred in issuing the 1986 ban on the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims.

Thus, she said, a Melanau Christian such as Ireland, has the right to use the word “Allah” for religious and educational purposes.

Ireland initially instituted an action for the return of Malay-language Christian CDs and religious books seized by customs at the Kuala Lumpur Low-Cost Terminal (LCCT), Sepang, in 2008.

However, following a court order to have the items returned to the clerk in 2015, her legal battle became one seeking court declaration over the right to use the word “Allah”.

Ireland was seeking a declaration that her constitutional right to practise her religion was violated by the imposition of a restriction or ban on the import of educational materials.

The judge also pointed out that there was no evidence the use of the word “Allah” by the indigenous Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christian communities of Sabah and Sarawak for over 400 years has ever threatened public order.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the government is in the midst of reviewing a more comprehensive directive on the use of the words “Allah”, “baitullah", "solat" and "kaabah" in line with the interest of multi-racial and multi-religious communities in the country.

Umno ministers, meanwhile, plan to discuss the recent development in the cabinet after the withdrawal prompted outrage from Muslim conservatives.- Mkini