A Malay rights group is planning a nationwide protest on Friday after a court ruled last week that Catholics can refer to God as "Allah", the organiser said.

Syed Hassan Syed Ali, secretary general of Pribumi Perkasa, told AFP on Monday that the group would launch a protest outside major mosques.

"We want the government to revoke the court decision. Sure, the word Allah is only to be used by Muslims. There is no doubt about it," he said.

The government has called for calm and has filed an appeal against the decision. Some Muslims claim the use of the word "Allah" will confuse their community.

The row is among a string of religious disputes that have erupted in recent years, straining relations between Muslim Malays and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians who fear the country is being "Islamised".

Religion and language are sensitive issues in multiracial Malaysia, which experienced deadly race riots in 1969.

Newsite up again

Meanwhile, a Catholic newspaper website which was taken down by hackers over the weekend was up and running on Monday, its editor said.

"The website came online again this morning after it was hacked twice (since Saturday night)," editor Father Lawrence Andrew told AFP.

"Our technicians are closely monitoring the situation. We had found the attacks came from a number of places, it's not just one person, it's a concerted thing," he added.

- AFP