I refer to the Malaysiakini report PM tells Muslims not to 'heat up' Allah issue .

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is right in asking upset Muslims not to demonstrate and to keep their heads after the court decision to allow the use of the word ‘Allah’ by Catholics. Justice is decided by the courts - not by demonstrations or undue political pressure. The issue should take its natural and peaceful course but the government could do better being neutral.

As a country that lives by the rule of law, Malaysians must respect the jurisdiction of the courts unless it has been patently clear that the judges have acted improperly and they are justified in questioning the court’s decision. In this case, there is no evidence the judge has acted improperly and the decision - after considering the facts and law - seems fair.

The learned judge based her decision on points of constitutional law and the Malaysian constitution does not give anyone the authority to deny others from practicing their own religion or prescribe how they should do it. The judge merely upheld that and would have failed in her task had she not done so. The upshot is Malaysians have seen justice from a system that is often seen as tainted.

Much has been said about the sensitivity of Muslims which has prompted the government to now initiate an appeal against the court decision. But in the confusion, Najib must remember that he also is the prime minister of all Malaysians and that includes non-Muslims. Non-Muslims have feelings too and more importantly rights that need the government’s protection.

The religious agenda of some must not be allowed to destroy the constitutional and human rights of others. Those who are extreme are also irrational and will destroy even the safest society as the terrorist scourge today clearly shows. The risk of Malaysia being seen as intolerant - and the ensuing economic repercussion - is real. Surely there must be more urgent and important problems facing the country than what the Catholics have been doing innocuously for so long in their religion.

For this reason, it is important that the government is seen not to capitulate to political pressure but to uphold the constitution. It must act fairly and be seen to be fair as it has vowed to do.

By initiating the appeal, there is the danger the government is seen to be taking sides and faces the risk of being seen as unfair. After all, not all Muslims agree with those who are upset and the court’s decision merely restores the justice due the Catholic Church. It isn't as if the battle lines are drawn between Muslims against non-Muslims with many Muslim leaders supporting the Catholic position.

For all his posturing in the hype of ‘1Malaysia’ which presumes one country, one law and one justice for all – Najib may not want to be seen as contradicting himself and being inconsistent by talking only about the sensitivity of the Muslims but not the non-Muslims. I would have thought getting the parties involved together and working out a solution was the touted Malaysian way.

The Catholics at the centre of the storm over semantics have shown exemplary forbearance despite having to put up with all sorts of encumbrances on their religious liberty and I hope those upset Muslims will display the same magnanimity as much as their religion teaches and which they try to protect.

The government, while admitting the Allah issue is sensitive, should have not allowed its religious authorities to stir the hornet’s nest in the first place and initiating the appeal may keep the fire of the controversy burning for longer than it should. So what happens if the appeals court ratifies the decision?

The accusation that the Catholics’ use of the word ‘Allah’ may confuse Muslims insults the intelligence of Muslims and defies logic. I would have thought the risk would be to the Catholics being confused themselves and becoming Muslims. But they don’t seem to have the same worry because anyone who does not know his God is indeed strange.

If Christians in Sarawak and Sabah were told that they will have their Malay bibles confiscated and they will not be allowed to call God ‘Allah’ I wonder if they would have wanted to be part of Malaysia in 1963. Sometimes when I see what a good thing they had then, I often wonder why they bothered.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad alludes that Christians in Sabah and Sarawak have used the term ‘Allah’ before joining Malaysia and it was reported that he said, ‘...but in the peninsular we have not heard of such a practice’.

Either I am forgetful or the former prime minister has a selective recall because in the 80s, the Al-kitab - the Indonesian bible - was banned but a decision was made by his government to allow Christians to import it with restrictions on its use and sale. It seems that back-pedaling on earlier decisions is not confined to just former communist and freedom fighter Chin Peng.

The word ‘Allah’ is clearly in the Al-kitab and what is happening today was resolved years ago. Why is the issue is being recycled is anyone’s guess but it does not augur well for a progressive nation to undermine its own fairly-given court decisions.

The problem has worsened the fault lines in the country. It rears the question if the government is government for all?