Malaysian Court: Only Muslims Can Use ‘Allah’

This isn't going to make things confusing at all. A Malaysian court ruled Monday that the phrase “Allah” can only be used by Muslims, despite the fact that all faiths in the country use the word for their gods. Christians in the country argue they have used the word for centuries, and the ruling violates their rights. “If we are prohibited from using the word Allah, we have to retranslate the whole Bible,” said Ester Moiji from the Sabah state. Monday’s ruling overturned a 2009 court decision that the government could not stop a Catholic newspaper from using “Allah” to describe the Christian god—a decision that sparked widespread violence at churches and mosques.