He said the report would contain the views obtained from the five engagement sessions with stakeholders and it must be presented to the Conference of Rulers as the highest religious authority in the country, Bernama reported.

Any input from the rulers, whether additional views and so on, would be a guide for the ministry to draft a new administrative directive, he told reporters after attending an engagement session with religious harmony management bodies today.

Saifuddin said the five engagement sessions involved Islamic scholars and teachers; academicians, sociologists and public safety experts; activists in the field of civil and shariah law; Malaysian shariah management bodies; and the religious harmony management bodies.

He said the engagement sessions were held following the High Court decision in March 2021 to allow a judicial review application by a Sarawakian woman, Jill Ireland, who sought a declaration of her constitutional right to use the word ‘Allah’ in publications related to her religion.

Saifuddin said the engagement sessions were to help create a new administrative directive in light of the High Court decision which had nullified a previous administrative directive.

At the discussions today, the participants urged the government to resolve the issue once and for all to prevent anyone from causing unease or discomfort among the various religious communities, he said.

In June, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah urged the government to “harmonise the situation” and place the use of the word Allah in the right context.