NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) today appealed to the Federal Court to uphold the Court of Appeal’s ruling last year to ban Catholic weekly the Herald from using the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God in its Malay publications.

 

Isma’s vice-president (I) Muhammad Fauzi Asmuni said in a statement today the Court of Appeal’s decision that the word ‘Allah’ is exclusive to Muslims, “must be defended”.

 

“The decision is extremely important in order to protect the sanctity of Islam in this country,” Muhammad Fauzi said.

 

He urged to all Muslims in the country to come to the Federal Court in numbers tomorrow in order to voice their support for the judges to uphold the Court of Appeal ruling.

 

Muhammad Fauzi argued that the previous court decision was in line with the Selangor sultan’s decree, state fatwa (edicts) and also teachings from the hadith.

 

26 questions raised in Herald's application

Tomorrow, the Federal Court will hear the application for leave by the Herald to appeal the Court of Appeal’s ruling.

 

The Herald has filed 26 questions in its application for leave to appeal.

 

If leave is not granted, it would signal the end of the road for the Herald as there is no more avenue of appeal after the Federal Court.

 

The High Court in 2009 allowed the Herald to use ‘Allah’, after the publication challenged the Home Ministry over the ban to use the word in its publications, but the Court of Appeal overturned the decision in October last year.

 

Many Muslims NGOs have stressed on the exclusivity of ‘Allah’ for Muslims.

 

Christian bodies and organisations have consistently argued that using ‘Allah’ to refer to God is an integral part of their Malay liturgy, mass and publications, especially among the Malay-speaking East Malaysian Christians.