A Malaysian appeals court has upheld a government ban against the use of the word "Allah" to refer to God by non-Muslims.
The court said the term Allah must be exclusive to Islam or it could cause public disorder, the BBC reports.
"Allah" is the Arabic word for God and is commonly used in the Malay language to refer to God.
The court overruled the claims of Christians that the restriction violates their religious rights in this Muslim-majority nation as they have used the word for centuries, the report added.
Many Christians believe that the restriction is a deliberate attempt by the governing Malay-Muslim party, UMNO, to boost its Islamic credentials and gather votes in next elections.
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