It is ‘ridiculous’ to demand an appeal against the decision of ‘Allah’, says Sarawak DCM

KUCHING: A senior deputy minister from Sarawak has rejected those who ask Putrajaya to appeal against “Allah’s” decision, saying they are being “ridiculous” as Malaysia is a multi-religious country.

James Masing said that the High Court decision that Christians can use “Allah” in their religious education demonstrates the right to freedom of religion in Malaysia.

“I believe that the judge had considered all aspects of religious and cultural sensitivity when passing judgment,” he said in a statement.

“So it is a ridiculous demand by any political party or religious group in a multi-religious country like Malaysia,” he said.

He responded to PPBM, Umno and PAS that they want the government to appeal the matter to the Court of Appeal because they were concerned about the court’s decision to allow non-Muslims to use the term “Allah” in their posts.

Masing said that if these parties wanted the government to appeal the decision, they would have to seek a revision of article 11 of the Federal Constitution, which recognizes the rights and freedom of religion for Muslims and non-Muslims.

“We must let the court and those who are trained in religious principles, such as ustaz and pastors, decide when it comes to such matters, not the politicians,” he said.

Yesterday, Judge Noor Bee Ariffin said that a directive from the Ministry of the Interior of December 5, 1986 to prohibit the use of the words “Allah”, “Baituallah”, “Solat” and “Kaabah” by non-Muslims was illegal. and unconstitutional.

The judge said the directive was wrongly issued because it went beyond the scope of the Printing and Publications Act of 1984.

He said that Jill Ireland of Sarawak had a constitutional right to use and import any publication for religious education purposes.

In 2008, KLIA customs officials seized eight CDs from Ireland titled “Cara Hidup Dalam Kerajaan Allah”, “Hidup Benar Dalam Kerajaan Allah” and “Ibadah Yang Benar Dalam Kerajaan Allah”.

Ireland, a Christian from Melanau, requested a judicial review in 2008, but her constitutional challenge was heard in 2017.