Malaysia’s top court dismissed a final bid by the Catholic Church to use the word ‘Allah’ in its ‘Herald’ newspaper, highlighting a debate on non-Muslims using the word in a climate of rising religious tensions.
Malaysia’s Home Ministry first banned the Herald’s use of the word “Allah” in its Malay-language editions in 2008, saying use of the Arabic word may offend Muslims who make up more than 60% of Malaysia’s 30 million population. This prompted a long legal battle, with appeals and federal courts successively overturning a 2009 ruling by the high court.
Image credit: Greg Walters / Flickr
