Kuala Lumpur lifts ban on Bible importation and printing

Some Bible-related controversies are major news around the world. And some controversies are kept quiet, even as freedom to worship is under attack. One such case which garnered little media attention is that of Malaysia, where Bibles had been seized and impounded over the use of the word "Allah" to refer to God. (For those who are not aware, in Arabic that actually is the word for God, which predated Islam.) But now, the government has done the right thing and has released the Bibles and formally approved Bible printing in the country in all languages.

Malaysia is a multiracial country comprising approximately 60.4% Muslims adherents. Malaysia is a de-facto secular regime, with Islam as the state religion. Christians make up 9.1% of the Malaysian population. The other important thing to know is the geographical interweaving of Malaysia and Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, with its own very pointed challenges in Muslim-Christian relations, especially related to the East Nusa Tenggara province and the horrible affairs on Timor Island. Malaysia's interreligious tensions and whether or not they are resolved peacefully have enormous implications for the region, and beyond. The Bible translation issue in Malaysia represents a vital test case for Christian-Muslim relations worldwide.

Malaysian government seizes Bibles over the name of God

What's in a name? When the name is the name of God, there is a lot. The Malaysian government has seized 10,000 Christian Bibles for daring to use the name "Allah" (a generic name for God in many languages related to Arabic) for God.

The Bibles contain the word "Allah," which is banned by the government for use by non-Muslims in an apparent bid to appease Muslims.
Church officials say the word "Allah" has been used for centuries to refer generally to God in both Indonesian and Malaysian languages, which are similar. The Roman Catholic Church is challenging the ban in court.
The government maintains that the Arabic-origin word "Allah" is an Islamic word and its use by Christians and others will upset Muslims.