The Catholic Church on Wednesday was denied its final chance to appeal the ban on the use of the word 'Allah’ in its weekly Herald. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 23, 2015.Malaysia's non-Muslim natives who have been using the word “Allah" in their prayers for a long time are the ones who will be most affected by the recent Federal Court ruling, despite the ban on the use of the word being limited to Catholic weekly Herald, a Sarawak archbishop said.Association of Churches in Sarawak chairman Archbishop Rev Datuk Bolly Lapok when commenting on Wednesday's decision also said that political expediency had prevailed over common sense and what is universally right.A five-man panel headed by Tan Sri Abdull Hamid Embong unanimously decided to deny the Catholic Church's application for a review of the apex court's earlier ruling which did not grant it leave to appeal the ban on the use of the word "Allah" in Herald.Lapok said last night that although the decision was confined to Herald, he could not say for sure that the matter had been resolved, expressing concern that it might lead to more complications."The Federal Court decision is confined to the Herald case only. Case resolved? I am not too sure."I hope in the process we have not mired ourselves in greater complication," he said.Lapok said the word “Allah" was embedded in the language and culture of non-Muslims in West Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah, adding that his concern was how much the ruling would affect indigenous expressions."It seems the natives who should receive more help and protection are the ones who are affected the most by this decision," he said.He added it was clear that Malaysia was the one on trial before the whole world."In this case, clearly it has not been the Herald nor the church but Malaysia that has been on trial before a watching world," Lapok said. – January 23, 2015.
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