Malaysian government prevents distribution of Catholic newspaper
October 30, 2013
Malaysia’s Ministry of Home Affairs confiscated over 2,000 copies of a Catholic newspaper and prevented the publication’s distribution in East Malaysia, according to multiple media reports.
The nation’s high court recently ruled that the Herald may not to refer to God as “Allah,” despite the term’s use in a Malaysian Christian context since the seventeenth century. According to a report in the Herald, the court’s ruling applied only in Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia).
Idris Jala, a leading Christian official in the Malaysian government, criticized the action and said that Prime Minister Najib Razak had made it clear that the newspaper could continue to be distributed in East Malaysia.
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Further information:
- Zahid: Herald’s ‘Allah’ ban extends to East Malaysia too (The Malay Mail)
- Herald shouldn’t have been stopped, 10-point deal still stands: Idris Jala (Herald)
- Malaysia: prime minister, leading prelate discuss application of ‘Allah’ ruling (CWN, 10/24)
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