PUTRAJAYA: The home ministry will review an administrative order it issued in 1986 on the usage of the word “Allah”, among others, by non-Muslims a day after it confirmed that it had withdrawn an appeal against a court ruling linked to the issue.
Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the High Court had ruled two years ago that the government directive issued in 1986 went against the Cabinet decision made the same year.
“Therefore, the home ministry will review and update the order to make it more comprehensive to restrict the usage of the word ‘Allah’, ‘Baitullah’, ‘Solat’, and ‘Kaabah’,” he said at a press conference here today.
“We started reviewing the administrative order early in the year.”
He did not indicate how long the review would take.
The High Court, in a landmark decision on March 10, 2021, ruled that Sarawakian Jill Ireland can use the word “Allah” for the purpose of religious education in Bahasa Malaysia and her native Melanau language.
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 and unconstitutional.
She said Ireland had the constitutional right to use and import any publication for her religious education.
Saifuddin reiterated that the court ’s decision was not based on theology, but on civil law and administrative matters, when it ruled in favour of Ireland.
The court had no power to decide on specific religious matters, he said.
He also said the court’s decision did not touch on the usage of ‘Allah” by non-Muslims and was consistent with a 2014 court ruling in the Titular Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur case.
“The government’s decision to not continue with its appeal was on a case-by-case basis, without prejudice,” he added.
