Islamic authorities in Malaysia on Thursday seized 321 Bibles from a Christian group because they used the word Allah to refer to God, signaling growing intolerance that may inflame ethnic and religious tension in the Southeast Asian country.
The raid comes after a Malaysian court in
October ruled that the Arabic word was exclusive to Muslims, most of whom are
ethnic Malays, the largest ethnic group in the country alongside sizeable
Christian, Hindu and Buddhist minorities.
That ruling overturned a court decision that
allowed a Roman Catholic newspaper printed in Malay, the country's national
language, to use Allah.
The change has heightened concern that
religious authorities, which issue rulings for Muslims and operate alongside
civil courts, now have more legal muscle.
Analysts say new rulings that affect
non-Muslims could be a way of deflecting anger against Prime Minister Najib
Razak's government from poor Malay Muslims over subsidy cuts likely to force up
electricity, petrol and sugar prices. Keep reading
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Islamic Authorities Seize Over 300 Bibles From Christian Group in Malaysia
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