SIB seeks documents that led to ‘Allah’ ban

Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) has put in a request for various documents that led to a 1986 Cabinet decision to not allow non-Muslims to use the word “Allah” and three other words.

Lim Heng Seng, representing SIB, told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that the discovery application is important and relevant to SIB, as it wants to know the literature, papers, letters or reports that led the government to decide on the blanket ban.

Lim said that the Christian community in Sabah and Sarawak had been using the word “Allah” in their prayers for over a hundred years, and that according to a religious expert, about 60 percent of Christians used Malay as their prayer language.

“We are challenging the constitutionality of the government's decision to impose the ban, as it affects the rights of non-Muslims, especially the Christians in Sabah and Sarawak who use (the term).

“The respondents (the Home Minister and the government) prohibited the use of the word ‘Allah’ following a government circular in 1986 that prohibited the use of the word for non-Muslims. They cited public security as a reason for the ban...