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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 KUALA LUMPUR 000003 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/06/2020 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL MY
SUBJECT: GOM APPEALS KUALA LUMPUR HIGH COURT RULING ON OF 
USE WORD "ALLAH". 
 
REF: 2009 KL 716 CANING PUNISHMENT POSTPONED UNTIL 
     AFTER RAMADAN BUT DEBATE CONTINUES. 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Brian McFeeters for reasons 1.4 (b) 
and (d). 
 
SUMMARY AND COMMENT 
-------------------- 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: On December 31, the Kuala Lumpur High Court 
ruled that the Catholic Herald, a weekly publication, could 
use the word "Allah" in its Malay-language edition and that 
the Home Minister's prohibition on non-Muslims' use of the 
word was unconstitutional. While the use by non-Muslims of 
the word "Allah" in neighboring Indonesia and even in Sarawak 
and Sabah is quite common, the decision has fueled opposition 
among the country's Malay majority and has become a 
flashpoint issue on religious tolerance. Muslim groups and 
United Malay National Organization(UMNO) Leaders, to include 
former Prime Minister Mahathir, have protested the ruling. 
However, after internal debate, the Opposition Islamic Party 
of Malaysia (PAS) decided to support the court's ruling with 
conditions. Prime Minister Najib has asked the population to 
be calm while the courts resolve the issue. The Ministry of 
Home Affairs has filed an appeal of the decision and 
requested the ruling be stayed in the interim. 
Representatives of the Catholic Church in Malaysia remain 
concerned that the decision will be overturned on appeal. End 
Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Comment: Malaysia has long prided itself on religious 
tolerance -- tolerance which clearly exists across the 
country, but which of late has come under increasing 
challenge. The Kartika caning case, see reftel, and the 
"cows-head" incident were the most recent manifestations of 
this trend prior to this latest iteration of the "Allah" 
controversy. The Malaysian constitution provides for freedom 
of religion; however, it also stipulates that "Islam is the 
religion of the Federation," and disallows proselytizing of 
Muslims. While PM Najib appears concerned about preserving 
Malaysia's international image as a moderate and progressive 
Muslim nation, he has also been focused on bolstering his 
Muslim credentials domestically. To date, he has been 
unwilling to confront the conservative Muslim movement on 
sensitive issues for fear that it could damage the UMNO's 
Islamic bona fides. While the higher court's decision can be 
viewed as a significant display of independence by a 
judiciary that has frequently been manipulated by the ruling 
party leadership, the growing public outcry and quick appeal 
of the decision by the GOM suggests that the prospects are 
high for that ruling to be overturned by either the Court of 
Appeals or Federal Court. The sharp negative reaction to the 
High Court's ruling by a broad cross-section of the 
Muslim-Malay polity appears to have taken Najib by surprise. 
This is the first serious litmus test for his year-old 
Administration. End Comment. 
 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
¶3. (SBU) "Allah" is the standard Arabic word for "God." It 
has been used by Arabic-speakers of all Abrahamic faiths, 
including Christianity and Judaism, for centuries. Reflecting 
the Arabic influence in the region, the Malay word for "God" 
has also been "Allah" for hundreds of years. The use of the 
term "Allah" by non-Muslims is largely a non-issue in 
neighboring Indonesia and in the Arab world. However, it has 
been an issue in Malaysia for over twenty years. In December 
1986, the first cabinet decision banning non-Muslims from 
using "Allah" and other religious Islamic words was issued. 
In July 2002, the cabinet reiterated the ban. In 2007, the 
Ministry of Home Affairs directed the Catholic Church to stop 
using the word "Allah" in the Malay-language edition of its 
weekly publication, the Catholic Herald, maintaining that 
using it posed a threat to national security, and could 
confuse the country's Muslims and draw them to Christianity. 
In February 2008, the Home Ministry reiterated its directive 
to the Catholic Church to refrain from using the term. On 
January 7, 2009, the Home Ministry approved the Catholic 
Herald's publishing permit, subject to the condition that it 
not use the word "Allah." On February 26, 2009, former Home 
Affairs Minister Seri Syed Hamid Albar signed a into law a 
provision which allowed for the Catholic Herald to use the 
word "Allah" provided its publications clearly state "for 
Christians only." Under pressure from elements of the ruling 
UMNO party and Muslim groups, the Home Ministry rescinded the 
law on February 28, 2009, and banned the Catholic Herald from 
using the word "Allah." Shortly thereafter, the Catholic 
 
KUALA LUMP 00000003  002 OF 004 
 
 
Church challenged the constitutionality of the Home 
Ministry's directive. 
 
¶4. (SBU) On December 31, Judge Lau Bee Lan ruled that 
pursuant to Articles 11 and 12 (establishing Freedom of 
Religion and Rights in Respect of Education) of the Federal 
Constitution, the Home Ministry's ban on the Catholic 
Herald's use of the word "Allah" was unconstitutional. 
Specifically, the court explained that it was an offense for 
non-Muslims to use the word "Allah" to Muslims to propagate 
the religion but it was not an offense for non-Muslins to use 
the word to non-Muslims for the purpose of religion. 
 
¶5. (SBU) This case is also relevant for Malay-language 
Bibles. In March and September of 2009, Malaysian Customs 
confiscated Malay-language Bibles shipped from Indonesia, 
because they too used the word "Allah." Home Ministry 
officials said that they were only following the July 2002 
cabinet directive and the decision made by the National Fatwa 
Council that the word "Allah" was exclusive to the religion 
of Islam. 
 
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE 
------------------- 
¶6. (SBU) The Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and the 
Home Minister have made public comments on the issue noting 
the sensitivity of the issue, requesting that the populace 
remain calm while the matter is resolved in the courts. 
Thirteen Malay NGOs protested the decision in Kuala Lumpur 
and Penang on January 4. While the statements by government 
leadership may have quelled some potential protestors, 
Pribumi Perkasa, a Malay rights group, has called for 
nationwide protests outside major mosques on Friday, January 
¶8. Under Malaysian law, the GOM has 30 days to file an 
appeal. On January 4, the Home Ministry filed an appeal of 
the decision and on January 5 filed for a stay of execution 
of the court order pending the results of the appeal. 
 
REACTION FROM CHRISTIAN LEADERS AND NON-MUSLIM GROUPS 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
¶7. (C) Reverend Dr. Hermen Shastri, General Secretary of the 
Council of Churches Malaysia told poloffs in November that "a 
strong Islamic lobby that clearly enjoys immunity from legal 
prosecution in UMNO" was orchestrating policies to portray 
the political party as a true defender of Islam compared to 
the Opposition Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS). On the 
"Allah" court case, Shastri commented, "this will be a long, 
drawn-out battle." He added that all churches have agreed to 
ignore any court rulings against them stating, "we are 
prepared to face the consequences ) no one has the right to 
dictate to us how we should pray or refer to God." The editor 
of the Catholic Herald, Father Lawrence Andrews agreed, 
saying "these Muslim bureaucrats have no business whatsoever 
in telling us how to conduct our prayers." Shastri did 
acknowledge, however, that the GOM's reaction was, in part, 
due to some evangelical churches "going overboard" in 
proselytizing among non-Christians. 
 
¶8. (C) On January 4, Father Andrews told poloffs that the 
Malaysian government is under "tremendous pressure" to 
overturn the High Court decision. He added however, that 
because the High Court judge thoroughly and clearly analyzed 
the constitutional provisions relating to freedom of 
religion, the Court of Appeals must address the matter 
seriously. Any further decision in this matter will have 
"tremendous implications" on the issue of constitutional 
interpretation and freedom of religion. Father Andrews also 
stated that the online version of the Catholic Herald was 
hacked into and shut down two times right after the High 
Court's decision. The editorial team was able to restore the 
site. 
 
¶9. (SBU) In a press statement issued January 4, Malaysian 
Chinese Association (one of the ruling coalition's three main 
political parties) spokesman Gan Ping Sieu lauded the court's 
"bold and rational judgment" noting that no one group can 
"copyright Allah." He said that it was a historical fact that 
the term "Allah" predates Islam with Christians in Arab 
countries, the Middle East, and Indonesia referring to God as 
"Allah." He expressed alarm at the ethnic and religious based 
protests in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, viewing them as threats 
to freedom of religion and supported Najib's call for the 
populace to remain calm. He noted that the "ruling is a 
matter of law in upholding the rights of Malaysians as 
provided by our Federal Constitution, and hence should be 
maintained as that - law." The matter, he added, should not 
 
KUALA LUMP 00000003  003 OF 004 
 
 
be stirred into a religious debate nor politicized as a 
racial or religious issue. 
 
REACTION FROM MUSLIM GROUPS 
---------------------------- 
¶10. (SBU) Muslim groups and UMNO Leaders have protested the 
ruling. Former Prime Minister Mahathir stated that whatever 
justifications offered for the High Court ruling would not 
diffuse the anger of Muslims. Nonetheless, he acknowledged 
the term "Allah" had been used in Sabah and Sarawak before 
the two states joined Malaysia in 1963, so it would be 
difficult to stop them from doing so now. He suggested that 
the High Court decision be governed by strict conditions. 
However, his daughter, Marina Mahathir, dismissed her 
father's view asserting that Muslims who were strong in their 
faith would not be intimidated or confused by the High 
Court's decision. Former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad 
Badawi, who currently is the chairman of the Institute of 
Islamic Understanding of Malaysia (Ikim), avoided taking 
sides on the matter but noted that the issue must clearly and 
immediately be explained to the people, including 
non-Muslims, to avoid tension and confusion. Former Perlis 
Mufti Dr. Asri Zainal Abidin supported the decision saying 
that all are encouraged to follow Allah. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Several UMNO leaders expressed disappointment with 
the court decision, often citing the potential for Muslims to 
become "confused" about non-Muslims using the word "Allah" 
and fear that it could be used to recruit Muslims to 
Christianity. Minister of Women, Family and Community 
Development Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the movement to 
overturn the High Court's decision would ensure that the 
place and position of Islam was not tarnished. Minister in 
the Prime Minister's Department in charge of religious 
affairs Jamil Khir said the government will appeal the 
decision to "safeguard the sanctity of Islam in Malaysia." On 
January 4, the Malaysian Islamic Development Department 
(Jakim) which falls under the office of the Prime Minister 
told Kuala Lumpur Roman Catholic Archbishop Murphy Pakiam not 
to use the term "Allah" in any publication while the matter 
is up on appeal. 
 
¶12. (SBU) Former National Fatwa Council Chairman Dr. Ismail 
Ibrahim said on January 3, "the name 'Allah' specifically 
refers to the God of Muslims in context of the One and Only 
Allah. This is the concept of God in Islam. Muslims cannot 
share the same concept of Allah with the non-Muslims, 
including Christian followers who believe in the Trinity 
concept, because Muslims believe Isa or Jesus is not Allah's 
son."  President of the conservative, influential NGO Jamaah 
Islah Malaysia Zaid Kamaruddin told Polcouns on January 4 
that the issue was sensitive for his organization because 
Christian use of the term "Allah" could mean that things are 
said about God that Muslims do not agree with. He added, 
confidently, that the courts' "due process" should be allowed 
to proceed, implying that the High Court's decision would be 
overturned. 
 
¶13. (SBU) A group entitled "Menentang Penggunaan Allah Oleh 
Golongan Bukan Islam" (Opposition to Non-Muslims using the 
word Allah) created on the social networking website Facebook 
had a membership of 62,627 as of January 5, 2009 and is 
quickly growing. (Note: When post first checked the website, 
membership was at 35,740 - twenty-four hours later, an 
additional 26,887 had signed the on-line petition. End Note). 
 
¶14. (SBU) Interestingly, Islamic Party PAS decided to support 
the court's ruling with conditions. After a three-hour 
meeting on January 4, PAS President Seri Abdul Hadi Awang 
announced, "PAS would like to state that based on Islamic 
principles, the use of the word Allah by the people of 
Abrahamic faiths such as Christianity and Judaism is 
acceptable. However, the word Allah must not be misused or 
abused so as not to affect racial and religious harmony in 
the country." These comments were nearly identical to those 
previously made by PAS's spiritual leader and Chief Minister 
of Kelantan, Nik Aziz, considered Malaysia's foremost 
authority on Islam. (Comment: PAS's decision was politically 
savvy. Even if the appeals court overrules the High Court 
decision, they have made a bid to capture the support of 
non-Muslims for their moderate stand on this issue. End 
Comment.) This decision was clearly made after much internal 
debate. PAS Deputy President Nasharudin Mat Isa had 
previously described the decision as "an encroachment on the 
constitutional position of Islam as the official religion of 
the country." 
 
KUALA LUMP 00000003  004 OF 004 
 
 
KEITH