WHAT...Pakatan Rakyat States also do not allow Christians/others to use the word "Allah"...PR should repeal that law now.

Can Christians use the word "Allah"?

Well, PAS seem to have been very clear that Muslims do not have the exclusive right to use that word "Allah" - of course, Christians can use this word.

PKR also took a similar position...

So, it was only UMNO-led BN that was taking that very odd position that the word 'Allah" and certain other Arabic/Malay words were only for the exclusive usage of Muslims. [To the best of my knowledge, no other Muslim majority country have any problem with the usage of the said words by anyone]

I was shocked to see that our PAKATAN RAKYAT States of Selangor, Kedah, Kelantan (and also Perak) has this Control and Restriction of the Propagation of non-Islamic Religious Enactment, which has this provision that makes it "...an offence for non-Muslims to use the word “Allah” to refer to any God other than the Muslim God..."

If Pakatan Rakyat is different, then immediately there must be a statement that a Bill is being drafted and will be tabled at the next State Legislative Assembly sitting, which will cause to repeal those provisions that prevents Christians and other from using the word Allah, and those other words.

Christians have been using the word Allah in our churches, our prayers and our religious books for a very very long time.

How many Gods are there? I believe that there is one - and many others believe that there is one, and we call him Allah. We also call that one God other names - but it is that same God that we are refering to.

Now these State Enactmnents puts forward the proposition that there is more than one God - i.e. there is that Muslim God...and, as such logically, it follows that there are other Gods - the Christian God, the Sikh God, etc... I cannot accept this. I believe that the one and only God also will not accept this. Muslims believe that God is Allah - so why do they want others not call God, Allah

All this is really politics - a desparate attempt by UMNO to regain support from Muslims and Malays. It is to show that UMNO is more 'islamic' than PAS and/or PKR..., is it not.

Remember, that all you need to enact new laws, repeal bad laws (or provisions in laws) is a simple majority - so, there really is nothing stoping the PR majority states from immediately making a statement that they will be amending the state enactments to ensure that their position is reflected - i.e. Muslims do not have the exclusive right of usage of words like Allah, etc...

I worry where the UMNO-led BN is going - soon they may start saying that Bahasa Melayu cannot be used in worship, prayer and religious books...

The Catholic Church failed in its bid to get permission to use the word “Allah” while its suit to overturn the government ban is still being heard in the High Court.

Reverend Father Lawrence Andrew

The High Court here said the Catholic Church must wait until it decides conclusively on whether it is allowed to use “Allah” to refer to the Christian God.

“This means don’t use ‘Allah’ until the court decides,” said church lawyer S. Selvarajah.

Reverend Father Lawrence Andrew who edits the Catholic newspaper, The Herald, visibly drooped when he heard the news.

The editor-priest had seemed in high spirits earlier and was confident the High Court would allow the church to use the word “Allah” for the time being. He had smiled frequently while speaking with reporters earlier.

Judge Lau Bee Lan set July 7 for the next hearing after dismissing the church’s request to stay the government ban, lawyers for both the church and the state told reporters this afternoon.

The arguments were carried out in the judge’s chambers instead of in open court.

If the High Court allowed the church to use “Allah” in a non-Muslim context, it would be helping the church commit an offence under state laws, a lawyer for the government explained to The Malaysian Insider.

According to a lawyer representing several state Islamic religious councils, it is an offence for non-Muslims to use the word “Allah” to refer to any God other than the Muslim God.

Abdul Rahim Sinwan referred to the Control and Restriction of the Propagation of non-Islamic Religious Enactment that was passed into law by 10 states in 1988.

The states are: Selangor, Malacca, Perak, Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Johor and Perlis.

The Catholic Church is suing the Home minister to overturn the Home minister’s ban.

The lawsuit stems from the government’s assertion that “Allah” should strictly refer to the Muslim God in Malaysia. This is a view that the Catholic Church has been challenging.

The word “Allah”, the church argues, does not belong only to the Muslims.

The Herald is published in four languages, including the national language Bahasa Malaysia (BM), which caters to the indigenous Malaysians from Sabah and Sarawak, who are mostly Christians.

Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur Reverend Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam filed the suit on February 16 to get a declaration from the courts that the church has the right to use the word in print and in church services.

The Home ministry, which issues the annual printing permit for all publications, had warned the church to stop using the word.

Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, who headed the ministry then, claimed the church’s use of the word “Allah” in any literature published in BM would confuse Muslims, who make up the biggest religious group in the country.

This is the second consecutive year in which Archbishop Murphy Pakiam is suing the Home minister to settle the dispute over the use of the word “Allah”. - The Malaysian Insider, 29/5/2009, Church not allowed to use ‘Allah’ till court’s July 7 decision

Unless these provisions in the various State Enactments are repealed - or are declared wrong by the court, I wonder what a victory at the courts will really achieve..

Would Herald and its publishers, still be committing an offence in the States of Selangor, Malacca, Perak, Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Johor and Perlis even if they succeed in their current Court action?

Why did the Judge disallow the application of the church for permission to use the word “Allah” while its suit to overturn the government ban is still being heard in the High Court? We really do not know - until the Judge writes a judgment. The reports are not clear for us to even guess the reasons...or it it?