Malaysia seeks to improve ‘Allah’ usage directive with Islamic scholars

The Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) recently held a meeting with Islamic scholars and religious teachers in an effort to develop a proposal aimed at improving the administrative directive on the use of the word ‘Allah.’ This move comes in response to the order issued by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah on June 5, which called for the government to harmonise the current issue and place the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the right context, taking into account national security, the benefit of the ummah, as well as the position of the Malay Rulers as heads of Islam.

During the session, participants were given the opportunity to provide suggestions to address the rising issues surrounding the control and enforcement of relevant publications in Malaysia, while maintaining the existing policy on the use of the word ‘Allah’. The findings from this session will be examined and formulated into a proposal for the improvement of the new administrative directive, which will then be submitted to the Cabinet. This process will take into account the policy decisions of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia and the Conference of Rulers, both scheduled for 2023.

The KDN also provided a detailed explanation to the stakeholders about the government’s stance and commitment to coordinating the provisions of Islamic law for the sake of national security, the welfare of the ummah, and the position of the royal institution. Additional engagement sessions will be held with other stakeholders, including key opinion leaders, state Islamic Religious Councils, and the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), in order to obtain holistic recommendations and coordination on the matter.

The ministry has expressed its commitment to maintaining public safety and order by taking action against publications that are deemed harmful to public order from time to time. This is in line with the provisions under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (Amendment) 2012 and Article 11 of the Federal Constitution.