The book, "Breaking The Silence: Voices Of Moderation -- Islam In A Constitutional Democracy", is a collection of essays whose publication was organised by a group of prominent Muslim Malaysians pushing a more tolerant form of Islam. The ban, signed by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, said that printing or possessing the book was "likely to be prejudicial to public order" and "likely to alarm public opinion". Anyone breaching the ban on the book -- which was published in neighbouring Singapore -- can be jailed for up to three years. Chandra Muzaffar, one of the authors featured in the collection, said the ban showed the government's "authoritarian approach to Islam". Marina Mahathir, a rights activist and daughter of former long-serving premier Mahathir Mohamad, said the ban -- signed last week -- was aimed at silencing government critics.

Source: The Nation Bangkok August 01, 2017 11:48 UTC