Malaysia 's highest court has rejected a challenge from the Catholic Church seeking to overturn a ban on non-Muslims using the word `` Allah '' to refer to God . But after the Federal Court announced its verdict on Monday , the government released a statement saying that the ruling would only apply to the Church 's newspaper , which has been at the center of the court battle since Malaysian authorities ordered the publication to cease using the Arabic word in 2007 . Malaysian Christians will still be able to use the word `` Allah '' in church , the government 's statement said . `` Malaysia is a multi-faith country and it is important that we manage our differences peacefully , in accordance with the rule of law and through dialogue , mutual respect and compromise , '' the statement said . Confusion . The conflicting interpretations of the ban have only added confusion to a debate that has inflamed religious tensions in the Muslim-majority country in recent years . The editor of the the newspaper , the Herald , said it remains unclear what the implications of the court 's verdict would be for the Christian community . `` We are in limbo , '' Father Lawrence Andrew told CNN . But the chairman of the Christian Federation of Malaysia , Reverend Eu Hong Seng , said in a statement that Christians will continue to use the word `` Allah '' in bibles and during church gatherings . The dispute began in 2007 when the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs , which grants publishing licenses , threatened to withdraw the Herald 's permit for using the Arabic word in its Malay-language edition , on the grounds of national security and public order . Malaysian authorities say non-Muslim literature that contains the word could confuse Muslims and cause them to convert away from Islam , which is a crime in many parts of the country . Christian leaders argue that the word `` Allah '' predates Islam , and has long been used in Malay-language bibles and other texts to refer to God . Anti-Christian violence . The dispute has sparked violence in recent years against Malaysia 's Christian community , which accounts for around 9 % of the country 's population of 29 million , while more than 60 % are Muslim . A series of fire bomb attacks were carried out on places of worship after a court ruled in 2009 that the Church had a constitutional right to refer to God as `` Allah '' in the Herald . But an appeals court reinstated the ban in October 2013 . Three months later , arsonists set fire to a church in Kuala Lumpur , and Islamic authorities confiscated hundreds of bibles containing the word `` Allah '' from a Christian organization in the state of Selangor . On Monday , a panel of judges at the Federal Court in Putrajaya ruled 4 to 3 that the word was not an integral part of the Christian faith , upholding the decision of the appeals court . Outside the building , hundreds of Muslim activists celebrated the verdict , shouting `` Allahuakbar '' ( God is great ) . `` We thank Allah because the court 's decision has favored us this time . We hope that this is no longer an issue in the peninsular , which does not allow others ( to use ) the term , '' the head of Perkasa , a conservative Muslim rights group , told reporters . Father Andrew from the Herald said the Church was looking into ways to challenge the ban . `` We need to fight this case to end , because we have to fight for justice when justice is derided or denied , '' he said . `` We have a moral obligation to champion the cause of minorities . We have a responsibility to uphold religious freedom . '' Politics . It 's likely that the ban is politically motivated , according to William Case , a political scientist with the City University of Hong Kong 's Department of Asian and International Studies . Malaysia 's Prime Minister Najib Razak is a reformist to some extent , says Case , but his party failed to win a majority in the last election and he needs to recapture the support of the country 's ethnic Malay , and mostly Muslim , community . However , it 's too soon to tell how the Malaysian government will implement the ban in practice , he says . `` This is the kind of ambiguity you would expect , because it 's a very complex and tense set of circumstances . You might have the judiciary saying one thing , the cabinet saying another -- meanwhile pressure is mounting from the many Muslim groups involved who bring tremendous mass-based support , and on the other side from Christian groups . '' The ruling may lead to further attacks on churches , Case warned . `` We do know that Malaysia has become more and more polarized in recent years on ethnic , and increasingly religious , grounds -- and that 's becoming more and more severe . '' But while the latest court ruling is distressing , Case says verbal threats against religious groups in Malaysia seldom translate into the kind of violence seen in neighboring countries , like Indonesia . `` We do n't see extrajudicial killings , religious-inspired violence and abductions , and that distinguishes Malaysia in the region . '' In 2013 : Christian churches in Borneo vow to continue using the word 'Allah ' Sudanese Christian woman rearrested , legal team says .
Perkasa 's top court dismisses bid to overturn ban on Muslims using Christians word for God . Confusion over ruling as government says ban only applies to the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs 's newspaper . Muslims say use of `` Allah '' in Christians texts could cause Muslims to convert . Church says it will continue to fight the ruling .