Amnesty International has described the ban on non-Muslims from using the word 'Allah' as an abuse against free speech and called for the ban to be scrapped.

“This ban violates the right to freedom of expression. The idea that non-Muslims could face prosecution for using a particular word is deeply disturbing,” Amnesty International-Malaysia researcher Hazel Galang-Folli said.

“The ban is not just repressive, it is also dangerous. It risks further inflaming religious tensions in Malaysia by denying its people the right to freedom of religion.”

She said yesterday's Federal Court verdict appeared to indicate that the legal battle on the 'Allah' issue has ended, although some Malaysian media reported that the Church could ask for the decision to be reviewed.

Muslims make up almost two-thirds of Malaysia’s population of around 30 million, but there are also more than two million Christians in the country, plus substantial numbers belonging to other faiths.

“The Malaysian authorities must immediately revoke this ban, which puts non-Muslim Malaysian speakers or writers at risk of arrest for simply exercising their right to free speech,” Hazel said.

“Today’s ruling marks yet another blow to free speech in Malaysia, where government authorities continue to arrest and detain government critics, silence dissenting voices in the media and attempt to ban human rights groups from speaking out.”

Earlier this year, Malaysian authorities seized 321 copies of the Bible in the Malay and Iban languages containing the word Allah from the Bible Society of Malaysia.

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