The Malaysian government has agreed to lift a ban o­n an edition of the Bible published in the language of the indigenous Iban tribe, Acting Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

"I have decided that the ban be lifted with immediate effect," Abdullah was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency late Friday.

Abdullah, who is also Home Minister, said the Bible was for the use of the Iban community o­nly and it had been in use for a long time.

He said the issue in question - the use of the word Allah Tala for God in the Iban language - had been resolved.

Some 60 percent of Malaysia's 23 million people are Muslims, while under 10 percent are Christians. There are also large Buddhist and Hindu minorities and the constitution allows religious freedom.

The complete text with the Old and New Testaments in the Iban language has been widely used by churches in Sarawak o­n Borneo island since its first edition in 1988. It was among 35 books recently banned by the ministry.

Iban parishioners have said the ban caused confusion and anxiety, and that Iban churches in Sarawak could not conduct services without the bible, known as the Bup Kudus . - AFP