Malaysia should reverse a ban on a Christian newspaper using the word “Allah” to refer to God, Reuters quoted a UN official as saying on Monday about a decision that fanned religious tension in the mainly Muslim country.
Malaysia’s second highest court ruled in October that the Catholic newspaper, the Herald, could not use the word “Allah”to refer to God, in a landmark decision on an issue that has fanned religious tension in the majority Muslim country.
“Freedom of religion or belief is a right of human beings, not a right of the state,” the UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Mr Heiner Bielefeldt, said in statement.
“It cannot be the business of the state to shape or reshape religious traditions, nor can the state claim any binding authority in the interpretation of religious sources or in the definition of the tenets of faith,” he said.
Meanwhile, Frank La Rue, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, said the federal government and the home ministry should grant the Catholic Church the right to use the Arabic word to refer to their God.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government of Malaysia should take necessary steps to secure immediately the right to freedom of opinion and expression of Herald – The Catholic Weekly and withdraw unconditionally from further litigation on this issue,” the UN expert said in a press release issued by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
La Rue was backing Bielefeldt’s call for the federal government to retract its decision, which was seen to limit the use of the word “Allah” to Muslims only – the country’s largest religious community.
In warning of the court case’s potential far-reaching impact on religious minorities in Malaysia, Bielefeldt also said that the government should not be dictating or interpreting on religious matters, stressing that freedom of religion belongs to individuals.
“It cannot be the business of the State to shape or reshape religious traditions, nor can the State claim any binding authority in the interpretation of religious sources or in the definition of the tenets of faith,” he added.
Last month, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Home Ministry’s decision to ban the use of the word in the Herald was justified, saying that the use of the word “Allah” was “not an integral part” of the practice of the Christian faith.
Rita Izsák, UN Independent Expert on minority issues, said the ban had effectively breached the local Christian community’s freedom to practice their faith, expressing her concern that it could affect the interfaith relations here.
Sources
Reuters/Straits Times
The Malay Mail
Image: Reuters/The Malay Mail
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