KUALA LUMPUR: After more than a decade, the High Court has ruled that Christians in the country are allowed to use the word “Allah” and three other words of Arabic origin in their religious publication for educational purposes.
This follows a decision by Justice Nor Bee Ariffin, now a Court of Appeal judge, who allowed a judicial review by a Christian woman, Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, to practise her constitutional rights of practising her religion.
The other three words in question are Baitullah, Kaabah and solat.The legal action by Jill Ireland had taken root some 13 years ago in 2008 when eight CDs she had brought in from Indonesia were confiscated by Customs officers at an airport in Sepang as they contained the word “Allah”.