The highly anticipated Sidang Injil Borneo's (SIB) leave application hearing at the Kuala Lumpur High Court's Appellate and Special Powers division tomorrow has been postponed.

High Court justice Aziah Ali had informed both parties that the hearing date is “to be vacated”.

When contacted lawyer Bobby Chew, representing the church - also known as the Evangelical Church of Borneo - confirmed that the case had been put off.

“A date has yet to be fixed for hearing. The judge has asked for both parties to file additional written submissions,” Chew told Malaysiakini.

On April 30, SIB failed to reach an out-of court settlement with the Home Ministry over the use of the word ‘Allah’ in its Christian books, and the court subsequently set tomorrow to begin hearing on the case.

SIB and its president, pastor Jerry WA Dusing, had filed a leave application on Dec 10, 2007 for a judicial review to challenge the ministry and the government for the ban on use of the term in the church’s Bahasa Malaysia publications.

They filed the application to initiate proceeding to contest the seizure of six boxes of Christian educational publications shipped from Indonesia by the Customs Department at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal in Sepang in August that year.

However, the confiscated books were later returned to the church on Jan 25, 2008.

Following that, SIB withdrew some of its declarations in the leave application, and focus instead on the government’s contention that no other religion could import books which used ‘Allah’ in referring to God.

Ban aimed to prevent confusion among Muslims

Dusing and SIB are seeking a declaration that it is their constitutional right to use the word ‘Allah’ in their religious practices and publications.

The Home Ministry, which controls the Customs Department, had claimed that the ban is to prevent confusion among Muslims.

Dusing, however, said the books were teaching reference materials meant only for Christian consumption and would not be used to preach to Muslims.

The Allah issue has become a contentious issue for Muslims following another High Court decision that allow the term to be used among the Malay-speaking community of the Christian faith in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

Justice Lau Bee Lan found the ban imposed by the ministry unconstitutional and ruled that the issue was justiciable.

The verdict delivered on Dec 31, last year caused outrage among some Muslims and this resulted in a number of attacks and arson involving Christian, Sikh as well as Muslim places of worship.