KUCHING, March 11: The High Court’s ruling on the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims affirmed the feelings, sentiments and appreciation of the true meaning of the word for all, especially Sarawakian Bumiputeras.
Yayasan Perpaduan Sarawak (YPS) chief executive Datu Aloysius J Dris emphasised this as he applauded the Malaysia judicial system and process in determining the meaning of the word “Allah”.
“There is no winning or losing in this issue. It just affirms the perceptions and sentiments especially of the people here in Sarawak regardless of their religions,” he said in a statement today.
Aloysius was responding to the latest ruling by the High Court yesterday (March 10) which allowed Christians nationwide to use the word Allah and three other Arabic words of “Baitullah”, “Kaabah” and “solat” in their religious publications for educational purposes.
He also pointed out that the usage of the word “Allah” by Christians has never been an issue in Sarawak as many native people in the Borneo states including Sabah have been using Bahasa Malaysia in churches and during worships.
“The High Court’s decision has affirmed that all Malaysians are free to practice their respective religions and that freedom of religion is very much respected,” he added.
Aloysius thus called on the people irrespective of faiths and views to move on and strengthen understanding amongst each other’s differences “as we continue to learn how to appreciate each other’s way of worship”.
Meanwhile, as many sectors of the community in Sarawak rejoiced and welcomed the court’s ruling, the Muafakat Nasional (MN) Consultative Committee comprising of UMNO and PAS has today urged Putrajaya to appeal the decision of the High Court. -DayakDaily
