A governmental office in Malaysia has reversed itself and now says the Catholic Herald will be allowed to publish in the Malay language, but it still can only be distributed in churches and must carry a warning that it is intended for Christians only.
 Malaysian women in Islamic dress (photo: International Christian Network) |
According to a report today from Compass Direct News, the new decision from the Ministry of Home Affairs also still bans the publisher from using the word “Allah.”
The editor, Father Lawrence Andrew, told Compass the publication will reply to the government by repeating its Jan. 2 claim that the newspaper should be allowed to print “Allah.”
A hearing on that dispute is scheduled for Feb. 27.
WND has reported on the dispute previously, including when the battle over the use of “Allah” arose because authorities believe the word can be used only by Muslims.
It was in 2007 when the government issued a series of warnings to the Herald over the use of “Allah.” The newspaper said under the nation’s constitution, it had a right to use the word.
The Herald is published by the Catholic church of Malaysia, and its Malay-language section primarily serves an indigenous population in East Malaysia. It has a circulation of about 13,000 with an estimated readership of 50,000.
Murphy Pakiam, the Catholic archbishop in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, told the New Straits Times the restrictions on the newspaper didn’t make sense.
“Even if the courts dismiss our application for judicial review, that has no bearing on the publication (in the Malay language),” he said.
The newspaper also is printed in English, Mandarin and Tamil.
The Catholic News Agency said publishers in Malaysia must get annual permits from the government in order to operate. Although Malaysia ostensibly grants freedom of religion, there has been a long list of controversies related to the issue.
A number of Christian converts from Islam have been denied permission to change the religious designation on their government identity cards, and the government limited the release of the movie “The Passion of the Christ.”
The official said “only Muslims can use the word ‘Allah.'”
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