PETALING JAYA: Shah Alam police have warned the public not to take part in a rally to protest the government’s withdrawal of an appeal against a 2021 High Court ruling on a Sarawakian woman’s right to use the word “Allah” in her religious learning.
Shah Alam district deputy police chief Ramsay Anak Embol said a message has gone viral on social media calling on all Muslims, including NGOs, to gather outside the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque in protest.
“The police take this matter seriously and advise the rally organisers not to proceed (with the protest). This is especially since it involves residential areas and a place of worship,” he said, according to Utusan Malaysia.
He said the rally would violate the Peaceful Assemblies Act 2012 and could threaten harmony and public order.
A message by an NGO calling for a protest after Friday prayers had gone viral on social media.
On Monday, the government revealed that it had decided to withdraw its appeal against the High Court ruling on Sarawakian Jill Ireland’s right to use the word “Allah” in her religious education.
On March 10, 2021, the High Court, in a landmark decision, ruled that Ireland could use the word “Allah” for the purpose of religious education in Bahasa Malaysia and her native Melanau language in Sarawak.
Then High Court judge Nor Bee Ariffin said a Dec 5, 1986 home ministry directive to prohibit the use of the words “Allah”, “Baitullah”, “Solat” and “Kaabah” by non-Muslims was illegal.
On Tuesday, religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar called for calm over the 2021 court ruling, saying all parties should be careful in their comments on the matter and avoid being swayed by sentiments in the interest of harmony.
