PETALING JAYA: The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) says it does not agree with the Federal Government’s withdrawal of the appeal against the High Court decision allowing the word "Allah" to be used by non-Muslims in publications for educational purposes
Its chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof (pic) said the issue not only concerns administrative and security but also involves the akidah (creed) of Muslims.
"Prior to this, in the appeal case, Mais and two other state Islamic authorities had been allowed by the appeals court to appear in the case as amicus curae (friend of the court).
"However, Mais is disappointed and regrets the unilateral action by the government to withdraw the appeal without any discussion with Mais or any other parties which have an interest in the case," he said in a statement on Wednesday (May 17).
He said Mais also stressed that the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims in Selangor is a criminal offence under the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Amongst Muslims) Enactment 1988.
Abdul Aziz added that this is in line with the fatwa which was gazetted in Selangor on Feb 18, 2010, over the matter.
He said even the Malay language Bible is not allowed to use the word Allah.
"His Royal Highness is of the opinion that the Allah word can only be used to refer to the Almighty God and cannot be used other than the intended meaning.
"His Royal Highness, however, has no objection if the word ‘Tuhan’ be translated to ‘God’ in any publication related to Christianity," he said.
Abdul Aziz said for the sake of public interest, the appeal process must continue to go through the highest court in the country to decide the issue decisively.
He called on all parties including politicians to respect the Sultan of Selangor as the state religious head and to refer to the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Amongst Muslims) Enactment 1988 before making any policy or decision.
On May 15, the government withdrew its appeal against the High Court decision, which allowed the word Allah, among others, to be used by non-Muslims in publications for educational purposes.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the move was due to a contradiction between a Home Ministry administrative order and a Cabinet decision in 1986.
He said this was related to the confiscation of published materials at that time, and not a theological issue involving the use of the words.
He said his ministry had carefully examined the decision of the Kuala Lumpur High Court on March 10, 2021, and found a contradiction in the administrative instructions, which caused the decision to favour Jill Ireland.
