A Malaysian court ruled on Monday (October 14) that a Christian newspaper may not use the word "Allah" to refer to God, a landmark decision on an issue that has fanned religious tensions and raised questions over minority rights in the mainly Muslim country.

The unanimous decision by three Muslim judges in Malaysia's appeals court overturned a 2009 ruling by a lower court that allowed the Malay language version of the newspaper, The Herald, to use the word Allah -- as many Christians in Malaysia say has been the case for centuries.

Chief judge Mohamed Apandi Ali said in the ruling that the usage of the word "Allah" is "not an integral part of the faith in Christianity" and will cause "confusion in the community".

Lawyers for the Catholic paper had argued that the word Allah predates Islam and had been used extensively by Malay-speaking Christians in Malaysia's part of Borneo island for centuries.

Christians in Indonesia and much of the Arab world continue to use the word without opposition from Islamic authorities. Churches in the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak have said they will continue to use the word regardless of the ruling.

Ethnic Malays make up 60 percent of Malaysia's 28 million people, with Chinese accounting for more than a quarter and ethnic Indians also forming a substantial minority. Christians account for around nine percent.

Presented by Adam Justice