Government to present proposal to Conference of Rulers in July on 'Allah' issue
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim - FILEPIC
Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the discussion was held to streamline some specific rules, so that the decision regarding the use of the word Allah could be finalised.
"The agong has approved the cabinet paper on the matter and we will refer to the Islamic Development Council chaired by the Sultan of Selangor, views will be provided on streamlining this rule so that the final decision, ( on the use of the word Allah ) can't be used in the Peninsular, but can be used with specific conditions in Sabah and Sarawak.
"God willing, it will be presented at the meeting of the Conference of Rulers in July," he said.
He said this in response to a question from Datuk Idris Ahmad (PN-Bagan Serai) who asked the Prime Minister to state whether the government had obtained the approval of the Conference of Rulers and consulted with the Islamic Religious Council of the States before withdrawing the appeal in the case of the word ' Allah' which has affected the position of Islam as the official religion.
It was previously reported that the government and the Home Ministry withdrew their appeal against the High Court decision which ruled that Christians can use the word Allah and three other Arabic words in the publication of their religious materials for learning purposes.
On May 16, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said, the ministry's decision to withdraw the appeal involved civil and administrative legal issues related to the confiscation of publication materials and not the issue of the use of the word 'Allah'.
On May 17, Anwar said, the Cabinet had received the approval of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah to present a proposal to strengthen the enforcement of the policy regarding the use of the word ' Allah' to the Conference of Rulers.
Anwar had said that the move was to solve the matter in a comprehensive manner
Meanwhile, Anwar confirmed the view adopted by the government today, which is that the word 'Allah' cannot be used by non-Muslims.
He explained that there was no question of contradicting the decision of the Conference of Rulers or giving room to non-Muslims to use the word 'Allah' as claimed by certain parties.
"The government's position on the matter remains and confirms the decision made by the Conference of Rulers.
"One, the word ' Allah' cannot be used in the peninsular, however relaxation is given to the rule with conditions for Sabah and Sarawak," he said
