Malaysia government to fight court verdict on Allah ban

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia's government has pledged to challenge a court ruling that Christians have a constitutional right to use the word Allah to refer to God.

The High Court verdict Thursday has sparked small, peaceful protests by Muslim groups, raising fears of friction between the Malay Muslim majority and the large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, who mainly practice Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism.

The Prime Minister's Department will file an appeal against the verdict, Jamil Khir Baharom, a Cabinet minister responsible for Islamic affairs, said in a statement late Saturday.