Panelists made up of NGO representatives shared their thoughts on freedom of religions in Malaysia during a forum titled "Freedom of Religions in Malaysia: We Live in Peace and Harmony" jointly organised by the Islamic Renaissance Front, Pusat Komas and Community Action Network Monday night.
In light of the recent ruling by the Penang government that non-Muslims in the state cannot use 40 "Islamic words", including "Allah", Council of Churches Malaysia secretary-general Reverend Hermen Shastri said that one religion cannot claim exclusive rights to words that aren't exclusive to Islam.