The Prime Minister's Department, with the cooperation of the Home Ministry, will appeal the Kuala Lumpur High Court's decision in allowing the Catholic weekly magazine The Herald, to use the word ‘Allah’ in its publication.

Its minister, Major-General (Rtd) Jamil Khir Baharom, in advising Muslims and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to be calm and respect the court's decision, said they should be patient and allow the matter to be resolved through the legal process.

"I'll meet the NGOs soon to hear their views and to discuss further the matter with them," he said in a statement today.

He was responding to the High Court decision on Thursday in allowing the Catholic weekly to use the word ‘Allah’.

Judge Lau Bee Lian had ruled that usage of the word was constitutional as long as the periodical was confined to educate the followers of the Christian faith.

Widely used by Christians in Sabah, Sarawak

On Feb 16 last year, Archbishop Murphy Pakiam filed for a judicial review on the usage of the word ‘Allah’ in the church's publications in Bahasa Malaysia, naming the Home Ministry and the government as respondents.

He argued that in Malaysia, the term 'Allah' is widely used among indigenous Christian tribes in Sabah and Sarawak.

The Herald, circulated among the country's 850,000 Catholics, nearly lost its publishing licence last year for using the word 'Allah'. The paper is printed in four languages, with a circulation of 14,000 copies a week.

- Bernama

Dr M: Set strict conditions on 'Allah' use