By Debra Chong
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court’s landmark decision in lifting the home minister’s ban against the Catholic church publishing the word “Allah” to refer to the Christian God in its weekly paper, Herald has brought about a wave of jubilation and celebration among many quarters of society, including non-governmental organisations, religious groups and politicians.

The decision today means that the 850,000 odd Catholics in this country may go about conducting their religious classes and bible lessons using the term which has apparently been enshrined in the context of the Christian faith in this country for centuries.

However, despite the optimism, people are still wary as some fear that this may not be the end of it all, as the Home Ministry may still bring the matter to the Court of Appeal.

“We welcome the decision of the High Court because it affirms the constitutional rights guaranteed to religious communities under Article 11 of the Federal Constitution,” said Reverend Herman Shastri, who is the general-secretary for the Council of Churches.

Shastri, in a phone interview with The Malaysian Insider, affirmed that for many centuries Muslims and Christians had been living together in peace in Malaysia, and that the use of the word “Allah” has never been an issue of contention. With the decision, he hopes that Christians in the country may continue with their religious practices because the term itself is embedded in their daily worship as well as bible classes in the country.

“We hope that now that the matter has been solved, Muslims and Christians throughout the country can now focus on bringing peace and goodwill with one another, and contribute to the well-being of our nation.”

Non-governmental organisatios (NGOs) such as Penang-based Aliran who have long fought for liberal ideas of justice and equality lauded the court’s decision, but at the same time chose to inculcate a sense of ‘wary optimism’ as it looks at the decision made today.

“Aliran says InsyaAllah. The High Court has restored sanity to the issue by lifting the ban on the use of the word “Allah” among Christians, which to begin with was an insane ruling in the first place.

“Imagine, if in the past various communities had claimed exclusiveness to their words and prohibited the use of their words, we would be in a ridiculous situation,” said P Ramakrishnan, president of Aliran.

Ramakrisnan, in spite of the happy news, exercised caution in the ruling as he hoped that the matter would not be dragged on any further and be put to rest.

“Aliran hopes that this matter will be left to rest in pieces. It should not be a case of winning round 1 and losing round 2,” quipped the Aliran man alluding to the possibility that the decision of the court may not auger well with the Home Ministry.

Meanwhile, DAP Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua remained somewhat sceptical of the matter, although he initially expressed joy upon receiving the news.

“I am happy but two things need to be asked. I hope that the Home Ministry will not appeal the decision and not alter the freedom of religion to be practiced, and that the High Court judge who made the decision, I hope he would not be transferred to another court.”

Pua attested that the decision made showed a “strong community within the judges of the high court in exerting their influences.”

That being said, the PJ Utara MP feared that should the case be brought to the Court of Appeal, the Home Ministry would have a strong chance of winning as the “Appeal Court at many times functioned to serve the government of the day.”

The government had said that the ban was necessary to avoid confusing the majority Muslims in the country. Islam is the official religion in Malaysia.

But the church claimed the ban violates its constitutional rights to practice its religion freely.

According to Father Lawrence Andrew who edits Herald, the term “Allah” has been used by Christians in the region to refer to their God since four hundred years ago. He added that it is still actively used today.

Lawrence explained that “Allah” in the Christian context is used to refer to the trinitarian concept of “God the Father” which is different from the Muslim use of the verse to refer to the “one and only God”.

Herald’s editor claims the use of the word has not died out and is still being used in church worship among indigenous East Malaysians, who form a substantial number of the Christian faithful in the country.

The church first took the government to court last year after the home ministry threatened to revoke its annual publishing permit for Herald, Malaysia’s only Catholic paper.

It was forced to refresh its suit again this year after its 2008 permit expired without any decision from the court.