The Malaysian Federal Court has upheld a February decision that a Catholic newspaper may not use the word “Allah” to refer to God.

The Catholic weekly newspaper, The Herald sought to challenge the ban on “Allah” that has been in place since 2007, suggesting use of the word “Allah” was not essential to the Christian faith, and would cause confusion in the community.

But Christians have argued that they have been using the “Allah”, the standard word for ‘God’ in the Malay language, for centuries.

Editor of The Herald, Jesuit Fr Lawrence Andrew told Vatican Radio that the Christian community in Malaysia is becoming increasingly marginalised.

“We have lost all our schools; it’s difficult to build churches; and now it’s difficult to import books… or any materials which contain the word Allah.”

The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) has said the Christian community will continue to use the word “Allah” in their Bibles, church services and gatherings.

In a statement after the Federal Court handed down is decision, a Malaysian government spokesperson reaffirmed its commitment to the 10-point solution, which allows Bibles to be imported into the country and printed locally. It said the ruling only applied to the Herald newspaper’s use of the word “Allah”.

“Malaysian Christians can still use the word “Allah” in Church… Malaysia is a multi-faith country and it is important that we manage our differences peacefully, in accordance with the rule of law and through dialogue, mutual respect and compromise,” the statement read.

In January, the Malaysian Bible Society was raided by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department, who seized over 300 Bibles because they contained the word “Allah”. The Society has since moved locations, to Kuala Lumpur, amid continued tension and confusion over the “Allah” ban.

The Roman Catholic Church has been denied the right to appeal the decision.