The High Court in Malaysia has thrown out a government ban on non-Muslims using the word Allah.

It had been argued that Christian use of the word could lead to confusion and conversions among Muslims.

Malaysia's High Court ruled that a Roman Catholic publication can use the word Allah after the Home Ministry banned the non-Muslim publication from using the word.

Under Malaysian law, the home minister is able to impose conditions on publications.

But the Catholic Church argued the word Allah has been part of religious teachings within Christian circles in Malaysia for more than 370 years.

Nearly 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people are ethnic Malays and Muslims. The bulk of the rest of the population is ethnic Chinese or Indian, most of who practice Buddhism, Christianity or Hinduism.

Recently minority groups complained that their constitutional right to practice their religions freely had come under threat from the Muslim-dominated government.