The Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) today welcomed the confirmation by the government that the word ' Allah ' may be used by a religion other than Islam.

dap islamic state forum 260707 hermen shastri However, CCM general-secretary Hermen Shastri raised several questions pertaining to the order made pursuant to Section 22(1)(c) of the Internal Security Act which reads:

"The printing, publication, sale, issue, circulation and possession of any document and publication relating to Christianity containing the words ' Allah ', ' Kaabah ', ' Baitullah ' and ' Solat ' are prohibited unless on the front cover of the document and publication are written with the words 'For Christianity'."

The order, dated Jan 21 and which came into effect on Feb 16, also stipulated that the words ' For Christianity ' be written clearly in font type Arial of size 16 in bold.

According to Shastri, the wording of the order causes great concern and gives rise to several questions.

What about the Sikh religion?

"Firstly, why is there a specific order in relation only to the Christian religion? The Sikh religion, for example, also refers to ' Allah ' in their sacred texts. By virtue of the wording of this order, they will still be prohibited from using the word ' Allah '," he said.

"Secondly, all of a sudden, people in possession of such documents and publications are now in a position of being in possession of a prohibited document unless they take action to ensure that the words ' Untuk agama Kristian ' or 'For Christianity’ in font type Arial of size 16 in bold are placed on its front cover.

"This is an unfair imposition and an unwarranted restriction on the practice of the Christian religion in this country," he added.

By making prohibited something which was hitherto not prohibited, Shastri said the order constitutes retrospective penal legislation that violates Article 7 of the Federal Constitution. Under Section 44A of the Internal Security Act 1960 which states:

"Any person guilty of an offence against this part for which no special penalty is provided shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding one thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to both."

'This situation is unacceptable'

Thirdly, Shastri said, the introduction of conditions as a pre-requisite to the use of the aforementioned words still constitutes a limitation on the freedom of religion as guaranteed by Article 11 of the Federal Constitution.

"This situation is unacceptable. We regret that the government did not see fit to engage with us before introducing this order," he added.

In view of this, CCM urged the government to accept that the use of the term ' Allah ' is a heritage that belongs not just to one religion.

"We further urge the government not to attempt to regulate or circumscribe its use through the introduction of pre-conditions and by punitive criminal legislation," he added.

The order signed by Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar comes after a year following the Home Ministry's decision to prohibit the use of the word ' Allah ' in Christian publications.