PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is committed to defending the government’s policy on the use of the word “Allah” based on a Federal Court decision in 2014, says Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
In a Facebook post, the deputy prime minister said the government will streamline the issues involving the use of the word and present its proposals on the matter to the Conference of Rulers.
He said this was to safeguard the position of Islam as the federation’s official religion as enshrined in the Federal Constitution, while seeking to preserve racial and religious harmony.
Zahid said he and Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki had met Anwar before the Cabinet meeting this morning to present the views of the party’s grassroots members on the issue.
Earlier today, Anwar disclosed that the Cabinet will submit its recommendations on the “Allah” issue to the Conference of Rulers.
In a statement, he said the Cabinet had obtained the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s green light to submit its recommendations related to government directives on the usage of the word “Allah”, among others, by non-Muslims.
In 2014, the Federal Court refused to grant leave to the Catholic church to challenge the home ministry’s ban on the usage of the word “Allah” in the church’s Malay edition of the weekly Herald.
The “Allah” issue was reignited this week after it was reported that the home ministry had withdrawn its appeal against the High Court ruling on a Sarawakian woman’s right to use the word “Allah” in her religious learning in April.
Various parties have since asked the government to explain its decision.
Yesterday, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said his ministry will review an administrative order it issued in 1986 on the usage of the words “Allah”, “Baitullah”, “Solat” and “Kaabah” by non-Muslims.
