MB: Non-Muslims in Selangor still barred from using the word 'Allah'

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari today stressed that non-Muslims in the state are still not allowed to use the word “Allah”.

Amirudin (above) said in a statement that Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had decreed this in 2021, in line with a Federal Court decision on the matter in 2014 and a state fatwa in 2010.

The ban on the use of the word “Allah” for non-Muslims in Selangor dates back to 1988 when the Non-Muslim Religions (Control of Propagation Amongst Muslims) Enactment was legislated.

Section 9 of the enactment forbids non-Muslims from using words or expressions derived from Islamic origin to express or describe facts, beliefs, or ideas that are not related to Islam.

This means the ban under the enactment is only on using “Islamic words and phrases” to describe elements of non-Islamic religions.

The only exception is for using it as part of a quotation or reference.

The section carries a fine of up to RM1,000.

The list of words and expressions barred from being used to describe elements of non-Islamic religions include Allah, mufti, Alhamdulillah (thank God), and InsyaAllah (God willing).

Another prohibited word was “injil”. Injil is the Arabic word for the gospel as received by the prophet Isa (Jesus), which Islamic scholars have tried to distance from the four gospels of the New Testament Bible.

Amirudin’s remarks were in response to news that the government withdrew its appeal on a case regarding the use of the word “Allah”.

The menteri besar said that Home Ministry’s acknowledgment of state enactments governing the matter means that the withdrawal does not have any impact on the state government's position on the use of the word “Allah”.

“The state government is firm in protecting interests and sensitivities, in that religious beliefs should be respected and not threaten harmony and unity that has been built and is a foundation of Selangor,” he added.

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