Opposition stalwart Lim Kit Siang has urged the government to convene an inter-religious conference to reach an out-of-court settlement over the controversy surrounding the use of the word Allah.

dap education roundtable meeting 111006 lim kit siang Lim, who is also Ipoh Timor MP, said this would help demonstrate the usefulness of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's 1Malaysia policy.

"This is towards creating inter-religious understanding, goodwill and harmony," he added in a statement.

The DAP leader also welcomed the decision by the PAS leadership last night to support the high court's decision to allow Catholic weekly The Herald to use the word 'Allah'.

Lim said the decision is consistent with the federal constitution and Islamic principles.

"It is a commendable contribution to the resolution of the Allah controversy following the Dec 30 High Court judgment by Justice Lau Bee Lan," he added.

Despite expressing support, PAS however warned that the term should not be misused.

The ruling has irked some Muslim groups, while the Home Ministry filed an appeal and stay of execution.

Thumbs up for Asri's proposal

 Lim also supported the proposal by former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin for the government to draw up a reasonable guideline on the usage of ‘Allah’ among non-Muslims.

NONE According to Asri, this is in order to protect the rights of the people, including the non-Muslims.

"I feel that it is not about emotions, it is about how we manage ourselves with proper rules of conduct. Rules need to be drawn up so that people won’t misuse the name of Allah.

"However, to absolutely deny a person from mentioning Allah's name is just not right. Arab Christians before this and even Sikhs use the name 'Allah' in their worship," he had said, while stressing the importance of exercising caution.

Commenting further on the proposal, Lim said the mufti has made the best suggestion for a government of a multiracial society.

The veteran politician also said that the Home Ministry should not have imposed a ban on the The Herald in the first place.