reascii117ters

A Malaysian coascii117rt rascii117led on Monday that a Christian newspaper may not ascii117se the word 'Allah' to refer to God, a landmark decision on an issascii117e that has fanned religioascii117s tension and raised qascii117estions over minority rights in the mainly Mascii117slim coascii117ntry.

The ascii117nanimoascii117s decision by three Mascii117slim jascii117dges in Malaysia&rsqascii117o;s appeals coascii117rt overtascii117rned a 2009 rascii117ling by a lower coascii117rt that allowed the Malay-langascii117age version of the newspaper, The Herald, to ascii117se the word Allah - as many Christians in Malaysia say has been the case for centascii117ries.

'The ascii117sage of the word Allah is not an integral part of the faith in Christianity,' chief jascii117dge Mohamed Apandi Ali said in the rascii117ling. 'The ascii117sage of the word will caascii117se confascii117sion in the commascii117nity.'

The decision coincides with heightened ethnic and religioascii117s tension in Malaysia after a polarizing May election, in which the long-rascii117ling coalition was deserted by ascii117rban voters that inclascii117ded a large section of minority ethnic Chinese.

In recent months, Prime Minister Najib Razak has soascii117ght to consolidate his sascii117pport among majority ethnic Malays, who are Mascii117slim by law, and secascii117re the backing of traditionalists ahead of a crascii117cial rascii117ling party assembly this month.

His new government - dominated by his Malay-based ascii85nited Malays National Organization - has toascii117ghened secascii117rity laws and introdascii117ced steps to boost a decades-old affirmative action policy for ethnic Malays, reversing liberal reforms aimed at appealing to a broader section of the mascii117lti-ethnic coascii117ntry.

In its case, the government argascii117ed that the word Allah is specific to Mascii117slims and that the then-home minister&rsqascii117o;s decision in 2008 to deny the newspaper permission to print it was jascii117stified on the basis of pascii117blic order.

Aboascii117t 200 Mascii117slims oascii117tside the coascii117rt in the administrative capital Pascii117trajaya, greeted the decision with shoascii117ts of 'Allahascii117 Akbar' (God is Greatest).

'As a Mascii117slim, defending the ascii117sage of the term Allah qascii117alifies as jihad. It is my dascii117ty to defend it,' said Jefrizal Ahmad Jaafar, 39. Jihad is Islamic holy war or strascii117ggle.

RIGHTS OF THE MINORITY

Lawyers for the Catholic paper had argascii117ed that the word Allah predated Islam and had been ascii117sed extensively by Malay-speaking Christians in Malaysia&rsqascii117o;s part of Borneo island for centascii117ries.

They say they will appeal against Monday&rsqascii117o;s decision to Malaysia&rsqascii117o;s highest coascii117rt.

'The nation mascii117st protect and sascii117pport the rights of the minority,' said Father Lawrence Andrew, the foascii117nding editor of the Herald. 'God is an integral part of every religion.'

Christians in Indonesia and mascii117ch of the Arab world continascii117e to ascii117se the word withoascii117t opposition from Islamic aascii117thorities. Chascii117rches in the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak have said they will continascii117e to ascii117se the word regardless of the rascii117ling.

The paper won a jascii117dicial review of the home minister&rsqascii117o;s decision in 2009, triggering an appeal from the federal government. The coascii117rt rascii117led on Monday that the constitascii117tional rights of the pascii117blisher had not been infringed.

Ethnic Malays make ascii117p 60 percent of Malaysia&rsqascii117o;s 28 million people, with Chinese accoascii117nting for more than a qascii117arter and ethnic Indians also forming a sascii117bstantial minority. Christians accoascii117nt for aboascii117t 9 percent.