Three books banned for extremist religious views
The books will be banned from Nov 21. Images courtesy of Muis
SINGAPORE — Three books have been banned in Singapore for containing "exclusivist or extremist religious views that promote enmity among different religious communities", the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) said on Tuesday (Nov 20).
Two of the books also promote divisive views against other groups within the same religion, the MCI said.
The books are: Things That Nullify One’s Islaam by Shaykh al-Islaam Muhammad ibn ‘Abdil-Wahhaab; What Islam Is All About (Student Textbook) by Yahiya Emerick; and The Wisdom of Jihad by Abuhuraira Abdurrahman.
The teachings and ideologies in the books "are detrimental to Singapore’s inter and intra racial and religious harmony and relations", the MCI said.
As such, they have been gazetted as prohibited publications under the Undesirable Publications Act.
"The Singapore Government has zero tolerance for individuals or publications which aim to incite hostility or violence among different religious groups, and has therefore decided to prohibit these publications," the MCI added.
The ban is effective Nov 21. Those who have a copy of the publications should hand them to the police, the MCI said.
In a separate statement, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) said also that the books "advocate problematic and extremist views" and "encourage a culture of violence".
It recommended that they be restricted from circulation in Singapore.
Things That Nullify One’s Islaam promotes hatred and animosity towards non-Muslims, Muis said. It also makes an obligation for any Muslim “to hate the disbelievers and have animosity towards them, and not to ally oneself with them, even if they were the closest of a Muslim’s relatives”.
What Islam Is All About (Student Textbook) propagates the importance of establishing an Islamic state, said Muis, adding that the author accuses Muslim rulers of being hypocrites and slaves to the Christians. The author also denigrates non-Muslims, particularly Christians, Muis said.
The third book, The Wisdom of Jihad, urges Muslims to wage armed jihad against non-Muslims, as well as Muslims who do not conform to the author’s view of jihad. Muis said the book shares the same exclusivist and radical narratives as the Islamic State, and glorifies a Muslim rebel group in the Philippines, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
It is an offence to distribute prohibited publications.
It is also an offence for a person to possess any prohibited publication, or come into possession of any prohibited publication and fail to hand it over to the police.
Those convicted may be fined, jailed or both. CHANNEL NEWSASIA
