KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) _ Malaysia’s government has refused to release 10,000 Bibles that were confiscated for using the word “Allah” to refer to God — a banned translation in Christian texts in the Muslim-majority country.
An official from the Home Ministry’s publications unit said the government has rejected pleas by church officials to allow distribution of the Bibles, which were imported from Indonesia.
Church officials say the word “Allah” has been used for centuries to refer to God in both Indonesian and Malaysian languages, which are similar. The Roman Catholic Church is challenging the ban in court.
Malaysia’s government maintains that “Allah” is an Islamic word and its use by Christians and others will upset Muslims.