Idris Buang, the Muara Tuang assemblyman representing Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in Sarawak, said Christians have been using “Allah” and “Tuhan” for a long time.

Recalling the days when he was a pupil at a primary missionary school, Idris said he even followed his classmates to a church, but had never prayed or took part in rituals there since he was Muslim.

“There cannot be a monopoly on the term ‘Allah’, others can use it, too,” he said.

He said the majority of Christians in Sarawak used “Allah” to refer to God in their Malay-language or Iban bibles.

He added that authorities had the right to appeal against the court decision allowing Christians the use of the word “Allah” in their religious education and books, reiterating that it was never an issue for Sarawak or its governing party, GPS.

Sabah’s Sugut assemblyman James Ratib said the “Allah” issue was a “sensitive” topic in the peninsula, which was “likely being played up in the run-up to the next general election”.

“The issue is not a problem here. Many Muslims in Sabah are related to families who are not Muslims. The unity spirit without looking into race and religion is still strong here,” he said.

James, who is also a state assistant minister, said Sabahans should not pay too much attention to the issue and should focus instead on combating Covid-19 and reviving the economy.

On March 10, High Court judge Nor Bee Ariffin ruled that a Dec 5, 1986 home ministry directive to prohibit the use of the words “Allah”, “Baitullah”, “Solat” and “Kaabah” by non-Muslims was illegal and unconstitutional.

The judge said the directive was wrongly issued as it went beyond the aim of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.

The government filed an appeal against the decision on Monday.