KUALA LUMPUR: “Allah”, which is Arabic for God, is not the only word prohibited for use in a non-Muslim context.

In the case of the Catholic newspaper Herald, it is barred from using three other words: Kaabah (Islam’s holiest shrine in Mecca), Solat (prayer) and Baitullah (House of God).

Father Lawrence Andrew, the weekly paper’s editor, said that the four words were listed in the guidelines issued to the Herald in 2007. The Cabinet decided on the prohibited words in 1986.

The Herald does not use the three latter words, but ran into problems with the Home Ministry for using “Allah” to refer to the Christian God in its Malay-language publications.

Last month, the High Court set aside the government ban on the use of “Allah” by non-Muslims. The court decision outraged many Muslims and was followed by a series of arson attacks on churches.

The ban is not limited to those four words. Malaysian states have enactments listing more Arabic or Malay words as exclusive to Islam.

The New Straits Times yesterday published a list of 25 words that cannot be associated with any religion other than Islam in Pahang. The list is found in the Control and Restriction of the Propagation of Non-Islamic Religions Enactment 1989. Also banned are 10 expressions with Islamic origins, such as Subhanallah (Glory be to God) and Alhamdullilah (Praise to God).

Pahang’s Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council deputy president, Datuk Seri Wan Abdul Wahid Wan Hassan, said the law had been in force since 1990.

Syariah Lawyers Association deputy president Muhammad Burok told The Straits Times that all states have similar enactments, with their own lists of banned words.

“It’s not uniform, some have more words than others,” he said.

He pointed out that the enactments had been in force before the Herald controversy surfaced. The Herald’s problems began in 1998, four years after it started publication. It was told not to use the word “Allah”, but following an exchange of correspondence, there appeared to be a compromise by the government.

Father Lawrence said the newspaper had had no problem renewing its annual permit until 2006, when there was a delay. In 2007, it was told that the use of “Allah” and the other words was banned.

Courtesy: The Straits Times