The government has a chance to clear the air over the usage of the word 'Allah' by Christians in a High Court case that is to be heard, the Sidang Injil Borneo Church said.

This can be intiated tomorrow, when the matter comes up for case management, during which the court may also fix the hearing dates for the judicial review.

With the government making a declaration on the right of the church to use the word ‘Allah', SIB president Jerry WA Dusing said, the government would be able to show its "good faith" in upholding the rights of bumiputera Christians.

This should be the case for all Bahasa Malaysia-speaking bumiputera Christians, Dusing said, regardless of whether they are residing in Sabah, Sarawak or in the peninsula.

"The case that we have commenced in the High Court since 2007, arising from the seizure of our Sunday School materials, affords an excellent opportunity for the government to put the record straight...

sabah church christian books suit 160108 jerry wa dusing 2"(The case) need not proceed if a mutual agreement can be reached (over the declaration on the use of the word 'Allah' by the church)," Dusing (right) said.

Among suggestions forwarded by the SIB for a settlement is for a 1986 Home Ministry circular to be amended to remove the word 'Allah' from the list of words that cannot be used in non-Muslim publications.

SIB also called for the implementation of the 10-point solution that allows the use of the word 'Allah' in the Alkitab, and to work towards a "fair and just solution" pending the clearing of the case.

Dusing said the declaration sought was the only one of SIB's three demands that have not been fulfilled, as the first two had been met with the return of the Christian children's books seized in August 2007.

Boxes of children's books seized

The three consignments of books, which were en route to Sabah from Indonesia, were seized at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Sepang six years ago.

The Home Ministry seized the items based on a Dec 5, 1986, circular that states, among others, that non-Muslim publications cannot use the words 'Allah', 'Kaabah', 'Baitullah' and 'solat'.

Dusing said SIB was told that the government would destroy the items if they were not sent back to Indonesia, prompting the church to seek legal recourse.

The SIB had then sought to quash the home minister's decision to ban the import of the titles and for the consignments to be seized.

It also sought declaratory relief for the use of the word 'Allah' by the church, but an out-of-court settlement could not be reached on this aspect of the case.

"It is the policy of SIB to resolve any dispute with any party amicably, through reasoned persuasion and amicable means. But in this instance, all other means have been exhausted without resolution."

Dusing added that the SIB was older than Malaysia, which was formed in 1963, and had been using the word 'Allah' since its inception.

As such, when the 1986 Home Ministry circular banning the use of the word by non-Muslims was issued, church groups sought clarification but were told that the circular would not be enforced.

"This explanation was taken in good faith by the churches then, but now what we have feared has happened, with the Court of Appeal decision on Allah, which is seriously flawed."

'1Malaysia, two Al-Kitab policy'

Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal declared that Catholic weekly The Herald is not allowed to use the word 'Allah' in its publication. The publication is appealing the matter in the Federal Court.

The government has given its assurance Christians in Sabah and Sarawak can use the word 'Allah' in their worship, as per the 10-point solution, and in the Bahasa Malaysia Bible, the Al-Kitab.

"While we welcome this assurance, we must stress that any decision must be based on the constitutional guarantees of our religious freedom.

"We reject any '1Malaysia-two Al-Kitab' policy that only serves to divide the nation and will not serve our members who are residing in Semenanjung Malaysia," Dusing added.