Were sultans consulted before ‘Allah’ case appeal withdrawn, asks Hamzah

 

Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin warned that the decision to withdraw the appeal could threaten the country’s racial and religious harmony. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin has questioned if the government consulted the Malay rulers before deciding to withdraw its appeal against a High Court ruling on a Sarawakian woman’s right to use the word “Allah” in her religious learning.

In a statement, Hamzah pointed out that the Malay rulers were the heads of Islam of their respective states.

He accused the Anwar Ibrahim-led administration of being insensitive about the word “Allah”, warning that this decision could threaten the country’s racial and religious harmony.

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Hamzah, a former home minister, also said the government should have allowed the legal process to run its course instead of withdrawing the appeal.

“Under the constitution, any court decision can be appealed and every party must allow the legal process to run its course without any interference.

“This was the legal process that happened for the case of Titular Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur vs home ministry over the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the weekly Herald.

“After being tried at the High Court, an appeal was made to the Court of Appeal and then to the Federal Court, until the apex court decided in 2014 to maintain the appellate court’s decision to refuse to grant leave to the Catholic church to use the word ‘Allah’ in the Herald.

“The question now is why did the home minister act (to withdraw the appeal) without waiting for the Court of Appeal’s decision first, since the issue is very sensitive,” he said.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers, representing the home ministry, notified the Court of Appeal on April 18 that it did not wish to pursue the appeal.

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On March 10, 2021, the High Court, in a landmark decision, ruled that Jill Ireland could use the word “Allah” for the purpose of religious education in Malay and her native Melanau language in Sarawak.

Then High Court judge Nor Bee Ariffin said a Dec 5, 1986 home ministry directive to prohibit the use of the words “Allah”, “Baitullah”, “Solat” and “Kaabah” by non-Muslims was illegal. - FMT