Bersatu slams govt over ‘Allah’ issue, claims interference in judiciary

By admin-s Last updated May 17, 2023

Bersatu information chief Razali Idris said the home ministry had no right to decide to abandon the appeal without referring to the Conference of Rulers, the state religious councils as well as the national fatwa council.

(FMT) – Bersatu has slammed the unity government for withdrawing its appeal against a High Court ruling on a Sarawakian woman’s right to use the word “Allah” in her religious learning, saying it amounts to interference in the judiciary.

Bersatu information chief Razali Idris said the home ministry had no right to decide to abandon the appeal without referring to the Conference of Rulers, the state religious councils as well as the national fatwa council.

Razali also criticised Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for saying that the High Court ruling applied only to Sarawak.

“This statement (by Anwar) is shallow because Sarawak is part of Malaysia, where Islam is the official religion, and Sarawak’s religious council falls under the purview of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” he said in a statement.

Yesterday, Anwar said Sarawak is not tied down by the decisions of other states. “Likewise, the use of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims is not applicable in other states like Melaka, Penang or Selangor,” he said.

Razali claimed that the actions by the home ministry, coupled with Anwar’s remarks, were a “desperate move” to prevent Sarawak and Sabah from pulling their support from the unity government.

“With this political move, I think the prime minister is expecting maximum support from non-Malays and non-Muslims for Pakatan Harapan in the state elections,” he said.

He also urged religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar to clearly state his stance on the matter “in order to respect the position of the Malay rulers and uphold the Federal Constitution”.

Yesterday, Na’im called for calm over the 2021 High Court ruling, saying it was a “technical” legal issue and that his ministry will work with the home ministry to preserve existing policies on the use of “Allah” and other words sacred in Islam.

On Monday, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, representing the home ministry, said it had notified the Court of Appeal on April 18 that it did not wish to pursue the appeal against the High Court decision.

On March 10, 2021, the High Court, in a landmark decision, ruled that Sarawakian Jill Ireland could use the word “Allah” for the purpose of religious education in Bahasa Malaysia and her native Melanau language.

Then High Court judge Nor Bee Ariffin said a Dec 5, 1986 home ministry directive to prohibit the use of the words “Allah”, “Baitullah”, “Solat” and “Kaabah” by non-Muslims was illegal.

Yesterday, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said his ministry would review the administrative order it issued in 1986 on the use of the word “Allah”, among others, by non-Muslims.

Separately, Umno information chief Azalina Othman Said said Umno ministers will raise Putrajaya’s decision to withdraw its appeal when the Cabinet meets today.