In a statement dated February 28, 2008, Malaysian authorities have responded to protests against the banning of Stephen Schwartz's The Two Faces of Islam: Saudi Fundamentalism and Its Role in Terrorism, in print since 2002, with the following declaration:

THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL SECURITY HAD BANNED 11 (ELEVEN) TITLES OF THE SAID PUBLICATION [SIC] UNDER [SIC] PRINTING PRESSES & PUBLICATION (PPPA) ACT 1984, ON THE GROUND OF CONTAINING ELEMENTS THAT ARE INCONSISTENT TO ISLAMIC PURITY [SIC] OR FOR DEVIATION OF [SIC] TRUE ISLAMIC TEACHING WHICH IS DEEM [SIC] AS DETRIMENTAL TO PUBLIC ORDER.
THE BAN WAS EXECUTED UNDER SUBSECTION (1), OF SECTION 7, PPPA 1984, WHICH WAS ALSO IN LINE WITH THE VETTED GUIDE LINES ON ISLAMIC PUBLICATION ISSUED BY ISLAMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF MALAYSIA (JAKIM).
LASTLY, THE ACTION TAKEN IS RECONCILE [SIC] WITH THE MINISTRY’S APPROACH TO ENSURE THAT NO PUBLICATIONS WHICH ARE PREJUDICIAL TO PUBLIC ORDER, MORALITY, PUBLIC ORDER [SIC] AND SECURITY OF THE COUNTRY WHICH CONSEQUENTLY MAY CAUSE PUBLIC ALARM OR AGAINST ANY LAW OF THE COUNTRY BE ALLOWED TO BE IMPORTED INTO MALAYSIA.

This ignorant and absurd comment was signed by:
NORZAWIYAH BULKA
PRO
Ministry of Internal Security (MOIS)
Block D1, Complex D
62546 Putrajaya
o/b Secretary General
MOIS

CIP calls on protestors against the ban to continue their efforts to inform the Malaysian authorities of the inappropriate nature of this action and, in particular, the usurpation of authority expressed by Malaysian Internal Security functionaries in claiming to determine the character of "true" Islam. True Islam is to be determined by Allah subhanawa't'ala, not by petty officials in a country the reputation of which is being tarnished by arbitrary censorship.

Protests should be addressed to: pro@mois.gov.my

Center for Islamic Pluralism
Washington, DC USA
London, UK
Koln, Germany

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