Understanding The Christian Community’s Stance towards the Muslim Community in Sabah: After the Ban on the Usage of the Term Allah

The Muslim-Christian relationship dates back to more than 1400 years. Over the years, many incidences have contributed to the fluctuation in the relationship between the two religions. In the Malaysian context, the practice of different religion is allowed, as defined in Article 3(1) of the national constitution “Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation”. Nevertheless, the Muslim-Christian relationship has entered a new phase when on 22 October 2013, the Court of Appeal has decided that the Catholic Church’s publication, Herald – The Catholic Weekly (Herald) has been banned from using the term Allah. This issue has garnered local and international attention because it will shape the future of the Muslim-Christian relationship. Even though this issue has affected the Christian community in West Malaysia, specifically, it has also left an impact on the other Christian communities including those in Sabah. Thus, this brings forth the discussion of the Christian community’s stance towards the Muslim community in Sabah post 22 October 2013. This research employs both the quantitative and qualitative approaches. The outcome of the research shows that the Christian community demonstrates a positive attitude towards the Muslim community and they conduct their daily activity without any animosity or negative reaction.