It was a bit of a surprising move, but the Indonesian government recently announced it will be changing the name of Jesus from Isa al Masih, to Yesus Kristus, Christianity Today reports.

The name of Christ is often cited by the government when referring to Christian holidays such as Good Friday or Christmas.

Government officials stated that it was Christians who requested the change.

Indonesia which is made up of 17,000 islands has a population of 280 million of which 87% are Muslim. Though Islam dominates Indonesia’s religious life, it is not the official religion of the country.

Over the years, the Indonesian government has traditionally used the Arabic name for Jesus, Isa al Masih. Christmas as an example was referred to as the birth of Isa al Masih.

But going forward the government will officially refer to Jesus using the Bahasa term Yesus Kristus. Bahasa is the national language of Indonesia.

Christians who make up 10% of Indonesia’s population were excited by the announcement as Yesus Kristus is the term they use for Christ during their services and worship.

Christianity Today explains the significance of the change:

“‘All of the Christians in Indonesia are supporting this [change] to show that our reference to Isa al Masih in the calendar year actually refers to Jesus Christ,’ said Budi Santoso, director of Kartidaya (Wycliffe Indonesia). He and other Christian leaders noted the importance of the name change, as it would differentiate the Jesus Christians worship from the description of Isa in the Quran, where he is seen as merely a prophet.”

However, others are concerned that this could potentially lead to problems because Christians also use the term Allah when describing God in their services and sermons.

Though most typically associate the term with Islam, it is simply the generic Arabic term for God and not specifically the name of God, such as the word Jehovah which is used in the Bible.

Several years ago, there was an unsuccessful attempt by Malaysian Muslims to ban Christians in that country from using the term Allah when describing God in a Christian context.

READ: Give Me Yesus: Indonesia Replaces Arabic Name for Christ