Administrative directive on use of ‘Allah’ will be issued soon

PUTRAJAYA: An administrative order on the use of the word ‘Allah’ will be issued soon, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.

He said the directive would be issued under existing acts, including the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.

“The existing acts give the minister the power to issue directives...this is what we will do.

“This directive needs to be issued as soon as possible so as to avoid any problem from arising as people will still make publications,” he told reporters after the Roundtable Discussion with the Home Minister programme, here, on Thursday.

On March 10, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Christians nationwide can use the word ‘Allah’ and three other Arabic words in their religious publications for educational purposes. The three other words are Baitullah, Kaabah and solat.

However, the Home Ministry and the Malaysian Government filed an appeal against the High Court’s decision at the High Court Registrar’s Office on March 15.

Hamzah said the directive would provide a clear understanding on the use of the word ‘Allah’ to all parties.

He said discussions regarding the issue and actions that could be taken had also been conducted with representatives of Islam and other religions.

“The directive will also take into account the constitution and state laws,” he said. – Bernama