High Court rejects MAIS' bid to be intervenor in "Allah" CD case

This followed a decision by the High Court here in dismissing the application by MAIS.

Counsel Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla, representing MAIS, told reporters that Judge Datuk Nor Bee Ariffin dismissed MAIS' application after finding that the council had no direct interest to intervene in the matter.

He said the judge, who made the order in chambers, however allowed an application for MAIS to be an 'amicus curiae' (friend of the court) in the judicial review application.

"This (amicus curiae) will assist (the court) on the Islamic scholarly, to give views on the use of the word 'Allah'", he said.

Mohamed Haniff said the court set June 19 for hearing of the merit in the judicial review application filed by Jill Ireland Lawrence.

On Aug 20, 2008, MAIS applied to be an intervenor in Lawrence's bid through a judicial review application for the eight CDs to be returned to her on grounds that she had the right to keep, use and import them.

She named the Home Ministry and the government as respondents in her judicial review application.

The CDs titled, 'Cara Hidup Dalam Kerajaan Allah', 'Hidup Benar Dalam Kerajaan Allah' and 'Ibadah Yang Benar Dalam Kerajaan Allah', were seized from the woman, who is a Melanau from Sarawak, on her arrival at the LCCT in Sepang on May 11, 2008.

On July 21, 2014, the High Court ordered that the CDs be returned to her, but did not issue a declaration which she had applied, that she had the right to keep, use and import the CDs.

On June 23, 2015, the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court's decision and ordered the Home Ministry to return the eight CDs after dismissing the ministry's appeal against the high court's decision.

The Court of Appeal ordered the ministry to return the CDs within one month from the date of the decision.