Tag: Sabah

Malaysia’s new chief justice is a Catholic

July 16, 2018 Malaysia Borneo, Malaysia, Minorities, Raymond Koh, Sabah

The Palace of Justice in Putrajaya, Malaysia. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

A Catholic has been appointed as the new chief justice in majority-Muslim Malaysia, reports the Catholic news agency UCAN. The appointment of Richard Malanjum, 65, from Sabah state on the predominantly Christian island of Borneo, follows elections in May in which the Barisan Nasional coalition government was ousted. It “signifies . . . Read More

Malaysia church attacks highlight growth of Islamic extremism

January 31, 2018 Malaysia Islamic extremism, Islamic State, Kota Bharu, Kuching, Malaysia, Myanmar, Petaling Jaya, Philippines, Sabah, Thailand

Located within easy reach of three active centres of Islamic extremism – Mindanao in the Philippines, Arakan in Myanmar and the southern provinces of Thailand – Malaysia has become a breeding ground for IS recruitment, weapon smuggling and communication, according to the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research. . . . Read More

Malaysian pastor Raymond Koh’s kidnap inquiry halted

January 19, 2018 Malaysia Borneo, Converts, Joshua Hilmy, Kidnapping, Malaysia, Minorities, Police, Proselytism, Putrajaya, Raymond Koh, Religious freedom, Sabah, Sarawak

The fragile hopes of a Malaysian family in search of answers to the abduction of church leader Raymond Koh were dashed by a surprise development on Wednesday (17 January). Almost a year after Koh went missing, after little or no progress in police investigations, Malaysia’s newest Inspector General of Police . . . Read More

Jill Ireland back in court as Malaysia considers Christians’ right to call God ‘Allah’

October 27, 2017 Malaysia 'Allah', Borneo, Islamic extremism, Jill Ireland, Kuala Lumpur, Lawrence Andrew, Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak, The Herald

This is a Bahasa speaking church meeting in East Malaysia where 'Allah' is used to refer to God. In 1986, the Malaysian government banned the usage of this word by Christians. The Catholic Herald fought against this ban for seven years in court but finally lost. This battle continues with the Jill Ireland case. (See article - Jill Ireland Case on 'Allah' Far from Over)

A Malaysian Christian woman’s campaign for Christians’ right to use the word “Allah” for “God” has resumed in Malaysia’s High Court. Jill Ireland has been campaigning for Christians’ right to use the word ever since immigration officials at a Kuala Lumpur airport seized eight Christian CDs from her in May . . . Read More

Malaysian court upholds right to convert from Islam

March 29, 2016 Malaysia 'Allah', Apostasy, Catholics, Kuching, Malaysia, Najib Razak, Sabah, Sarawak, Sharia

In a landmark ruling last week a Malaysian court upheld the rights of a Christian to convert from Islam. The judgment establishes a precedent in a country where religious conversions, particularly from Islam to Christianity, have been steeped in controversy. The verdict reaffirms the supremacy of the Federal Constitution, which . . . Read More

Case of the disappearing Christian CDs: 7 years on, Malaysian court orders their return

June 24, 2015 Malaysia 'Allah', Borneo, Catholics, Hudud, Jill Ireland, Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur, Lawrence Andrew, Malaysia, Petaling Jaya, Sabah, Sarawak

After a seven-year battle through the courts, yesterday (23 June) Jill Ireland, a Malaysian Christian finally won the right to re-gain her CDs of worship songs which include the word ‘Allah’. The Malaysian Court of Appeal ordered its Government to return the spiritual material to Ms Ireland. Her appeal had . . . Read More

Malaysia refuses Church right to appeal ban on use of ‘Allah’

June 25, 2014 Malaysia 'Allah', Hudud, Islamic extremism, Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Najib Razak, PAS, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Sharia, The Herald

Almost eight years after the Malaysian Catholic newspaper the Herald first sought to overthrow a government ban on it using the word ‘Allah’ for ‘God’ in its publication the judicial appeal process appears to have ended in failure. A federal court in Kuala Lumpur ruled on June 23 that it . . . Read More

Use of ‘Allah’ still unresolved for Malaysia’s Christians

March 8, 2014 Malaysia 'Allah', Bibles, Borneo, Brunei, Jill Ireland, Lawrence Andrew, Najib Razak, Putrajaya, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Sharia, Southeast Asia, UMNO

Malaysian Christians this week have been anxious about their right to practise their faith without state interference or provocation from militant Islam, as three cases concerning religious freedom have come to court. Much is riding on the legal system to affirm Malaysia’s constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. Christians in Malaysia . . . Read More

Malaysia’s ‘Allah’ impasse

January 24, 2014 Malaysia 'Allah', Bibles, Borneo, JAIS, Kuching, Lawrence Andrew, Najib Razak, Petaling Jaya, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, The Herald, UMNO

Should Malaysia’s Muslims alone be afforded the right to use the word ‘Allah’?Abu Emran / Flickr / Creative Commons “God, what is your religion?” This cryptic question, spotted on a T-shirt at a packed public meeting on religious freedom in the Malaysian city of Petaling Jaya last week, sums . . . Read More

Islamic authorities’ raid on Malaysian Bible Society questioned by state government

January 4, 2014 Malaysia 'Allah', Bibles, Constitution, JAIS, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, The Herald, UMNO

Christians in Sarawak attend Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Kuching. The service is held in the Malay language, which uses the word ‘Allah’ for God.The Malaysian Insider The ruling that the use of the word ‘Allah’ for God is banned for non-Muslims in Malaysia hit global headlines in . . . Read More

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