"Allah" is the Malay language equivalent of the English word "god," and is a loanword from Arabic. Malay is the official language of the country, and Malaysians of all religions use the word; not just Muslims.
The term "Allah" is used around the world by Arab Christians, and has been included in the Malaysian version of the Bible for 400 years.
Father Andrew noted that a Latin-Malaysian dictionary published in 1631 by the forerunner of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which translates "Deus" as "Allah", establishes "decisive proof of the legitimate use of the word 'Allah' by Christians."
Despite this, the appeals court said the term belongs exclusively to Muslims and that its use by others could cause public disorder. Some Muslim groups in Malaysia have argued that Christian use of "Allah" could encourage Muslims to convert to Christianity, according to the BBC.
The court's decision stems from a 2009 government decision saying that The Herald could not use "Allah" to refer to God in Christianity. The paper sued, and a court ruled in their favor, but the Malaysian government appealed.
Now that an appellate court has ruled against The Herald, Fr. Andrew said that Archbishop Murphy Pakiam of Kuala Lumpur has given his approval to appeal the ruling to the Malaysian Supreme Court.