Christians in Malaysia can now use “Allah”

Malaysias high court overturned a policy that bans Christians from using the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God, after a decades-long legal battle.

Christians in Malaysia can now use “Allah”

Christians in Malaysia can now use “Allah” photo credit: canva

Malaysia’s high court overturned a policy that bans Christians from using the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God, after a decades-long legal battle.

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The legal battle

The legal battle started after Malaysian authorities seized Malay-language CD’s from a Christian at an airport after discovering the recordings used ‘Allah’ in their titles. The woman than launched a legal challenge against a 1986 ban on Christians using the word in publications.

Illegal and unconstitutional

On Wednesday- after more than a decade- the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the woman had the right to not face discrimination on the ground of her faith. In her decision, Justice Nor Bee told BBC that the directive to ban the word ‘Allah’ and three other words from being used by Christians was ‘illegal and unconstitutional’.

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