Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Mar 17, 2011 / 02:02 am
Government officials in Malaysia agreed to release 35,000 Bibles that were seized in the country as it continues a heated dispute over non-Muslims being allowed to use the word “Allah” for God.
The decision on March 15 by the Muslim-majority government is being considered a significant move to quell frustration among Malaysian Christians, as a court case continues on whether non-Muslims have the constitutional right to use the word.
The Herald, Malaysia's sole Catholic publication, was prosecuted last year by the Malaysian Home Ministry and threatened with the loss of its printing license for its use of “Allah” in describing the Christian God in its Malay-language section.
The Herald argued that use of the term follows a centuries-old tradition within the Arabic language that pre-dates Islam, while the Home Ministry claimed that its usage outside the Muslim context was an affront to Muslims. Islam is both the state religion and the largest faith in the country.