Malaysia Bans 11 Books on 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."

There are also three books written in the local Malay language.

It was not immediately clear whether the books have ever been on sale in Malaysia, but government authorities regularly review the contents of books and publications that could have sensitive material, mostly regarding religion and sex, Che Din said.

About 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people are Muslims.

***** "Not in line with the Malaysian version of Islam." Interesting. I wonder what 'Malaysian version' we would change to if PAS were to come to power.
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