Malaysia Catholic Paper Loses Permit Amid 'Allah' Row

November 12, 2009

Author: Staff Writer

Source: mysinchew.com

http://www.mysinchew.com/node/31412

Malaysia's weekly Catholic newspaper has lost its publishing permit for next year amid a long-running dispute over its use of the word "Allah", the editor said Thursday.

The loss of The Herald's permit comes as it prepares for a High Court hearing on December 14 in a legal battle between the Catholic Church and the authorities over the use of the world "Allah" in the paper's Malay-language section.

The government has argued that the word "Allah" should be used only by Muslims, who dominate the population of Malaysia.