Sultan Ibrahim supports govt's appeal against 'Allah' use ruling

JOHOR BAHRU: The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, has urged the federal government to continue its appeal against the High Court's ruling that Christians nationwide can use the Arabic word for God, "Allah".

Sultan Ibrahim also ordered the Johor Islamic Religious Council (MAINJ) to take the necessary and appropriate action to support the appeal effort.

He also said that the Johor State Fatwa gazetted on June 4 2009 clearly states: "The use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims is not allowed, not permitted and prohibited."

"In Johor, we also have the Control and Restriction of the Propagation of Non-Islamic Religions Enactment 1991 which prohibits the use of words that are reserved exclusively for Muslims and cannot be used by non-Muslims except in circumstances permitted by law.

"This fatwa means that the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims, which does not coincide with the true meaning as the teachings of Islam, is disallowed," said Sultan Ibrahim in a statement posted on his official Facebook page here today.

He also expressed sadness when the issue resurfaced as it could provoke controversy and a bad perception of the harmony of the people of Johor.

On March 10, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Christians nationwide can use the word "Allah" and three other Arabic words in their religious publications for educational purposes. The three other words are Baitullah, Kaabah and solat.

However, the Home Ministry and the Malaysian government filed an appeal against the High Court's decision at the High Court Registry on March 15.

-- BERNAMA