Malaysia bans 11 books for alleged misrepresentation of Islam
Malaysia has banned 11 books for allegedly giving a false portrayal
of Islam, such as by linking the religion to terrorism and the
mistreatment of women, an official said Wednesday.
The government ordered the books - most of them released by U.S.
publishers - to be blacklisted earlier this month “because they are not
in line with what we call the Malaysian version of Islam,” said Che Din
Yusoh, an official with the Internal Security Ministry’s publications
control unit.
“Some of them ridicule Islam as a religion, or the facts are wrong
about Islam, like associating Islam with terrorism ... or saying Islam
mistreats women,” he said. “Once you mention something which is not
correct, it’s not proper.”
The banned books include eight English-language ones, such as “The
Two Faces of Islam: Saudi Fundamentalism and its Role in Terrorism,”
“Secrets of the Quran: Revealing Insights Into Islam’s Holy Book” and
“Women in Islam.”
Kuala Lumpur, Wednesday, AP |