Act against extremists, not do the opposite, ministry urged

PETALING JAYA: It is unreasonable for the Home Ministry to ban a book on Islam and the Federal Constitution by the G25, says MCA Youth.

The ministry’s reason that the book was likely to be prejudicial to public order, public opinion and public interest was puzzling, said MCA Youth secretary-general Datuk Leong Kim Soon.

“The book was written by progressive Muslims and social activists, which aims to propagate moderate Islam and discuss the status of Islam in the Federal Constitution.

“How is it possible that a book that encourages moderation and rational thinking can threaten public order?

“The ministry’s reasons are difficult to convince the public,” he said in a statement yesterday.

A Federal Government gazette published last Thursday prohibited the pro-moderation group’s Breaking the Silence: Voices of Moderation: Islam in a Constitutional Democracy.

Leong said the greatest challenge and crisis faced by Malaysia today was the growing religious conservatism and extremism.

This, he said, included the stricter interpretation of Islamic law enforced by the Kelantan government and sectors of religious institutions in the Federal Government.

Leong said forcing people into accepting ultra-conservative religious doctrine would result in social division and endanger the moderate and the democratic Constitution upheld by Malaysians.

“Some extremist groups and religious conservatives keep issuing many extremist remarks to fan public sentiments,” he said.

“The Home Ministry should act against these groups and not do the opposite.”