Malaysian officials seize 15,000 Bibles

October 30, 2009

In recent months, Malaysian authorities have seized over 15,000 Bibles imported from Indonesia because they refer to God as “Allah.” The government has forbidden non-Muslims to use “Allah” as a translation for “God,” even though the Arabic word for God predates the founding of Islam.

“For most of the Christians, this is not an issue of going against the authorities,” said Rev. Hermen Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia. “They have been using [the word ‘Allah’] for a long time.” 60% of the nation’s 26.6 million residents are Muslim; 19% are Buddhist and 9% are Christian, a third of them Catholic.

 

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Further information:

• Church officials: 15000 Bibles seized in Malaysia (AP)
• Catholic Church in Malaysia Challenges Bible Ban (Vatican Radio)