Hamzah wants to resolve usage of ‘Allah’

PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry will lead an initiative to seek the views of Islamic and Christian scholars, in search of a solution for the contentious issue of the use of the word “Allah”.

Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said he would call for a dialogue at the end of month so that the matter, which has been a legal issue since 2008, could be resolved together.

“I will invite Islamic scholars and religious experts as well as those from the Christian faith to sit together so that we all can resolve the issue.

“I believe it needs to be settled now so that it will not be prolonged and be a burden in the future, ” he told reporters after launching the National Registration Department’s latest mobile counter services.

He, however, pointed out that while finding solutions to this issue, it must be within the framework of the Federal Constitution.

Hamzah also said the appeal against the High Court decision allowing Christians to use the word “Allah” in religious publications for educational purposes would proceed.

The government on Monday had said it was appealing against the High Court decision and a notice of appeal was filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court registry.

On March 10, Justice Nor Bee Ariffin, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, ruled that a 1986 Home Ministry directive – that prohibited the use of the words “Allah”, “Baitullah”, “Kaabah” and “solat” by non-Muslims – was illegal and unconstitutional.

This follows the court’s decision to allow a judicial review by a Christian woman of Melanau descent, Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill.

The legal action was initiated some 13 years ago in 2008 when eight CDs Jill Ireland brought in from Indonesia were confiscated by Customs officers at an airport in Sepang as they contained the word “Allah”.

On another matter, Hamzah said he would look into claims by the Inspector-General of Police that a group of young officers were linked to cartels and wanted to dominate the national police force.

“I will look into this and if it is true, I will make sure there is no cartel (controlling the police). And if what the IGP claims are true, he should have raised it during the Police Force Commission meeting. This is the first time I am hearing this, ” he said.

Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador in an exclusive interview with Sinar Harian claimed that there was a group of young officers within the police that wanted to destroy his image.