June 24, 2012
E&O, Penang
Book Banning: A Case of Paranoia
@www.themalaysianinsider.com
On Monday, June 25, 2012, Sisters in Islam (SIS) will be in probity again. This time around, the Government of Malaysia is delectable the High Court preference which carried the anathema upon the book published by SIS, "Muslim Women as well as the Challenge of Extremism."
The book was initial criminialized upon Jul 31, 2008, upon the premise which it was 
"prejudicial to open order." Other reasons cited by the Ministry of Home Affairs were fears which the book would "confuse Muslims, particularly Muslim women"and "those with shallow hold of Islam." SIS appealed against the decision, as well as upon Jan 25, 2010, Justice Mohamad Ariff Md. Yusof carried the ban. His reasoning was which there was no evidence which the book had combined the open sequence complaint during the two years it had been in circulation.
He additionally resolved which the Minister's preference was "an error in law" which the preference was illegal, irrational, as well as "wholly disproportionate" to the evidence made.
Justice Ariff's preference was significant as it practical two new Federal Court decisions which ruled which the probity had the right to objectively review the minister's option to be unreasonable.
However heart-warming the Honourable Judge's preference was, it i! s discon certing to note which book-banning in Malaysia is not an removed practice. Over the years, you have seen the host of other books axed, the many new being Irshad Manji's "Allah, Liberty as well as Love."
She is joined by the long list of international as well as internal authors, together with John Esposito as well as Karen Armstrong (two Christian academics deliberate in between the many sympathetic to Islam), Khalil Gibran, Kassim Ahmad, Faisal Tehrani as well as cartoonist Zunar. What is even some-more shocking currently is which the eremite authorities have been using provisions underneath the Syariah Criminal Offences law to charge the book store physical preparation instructor for selling the book they deem "offensive."
While the list of books being criminialized is growing, the reasons since for their banning have been not. The many oft-repeated reasons include the "tendency to confuse", "tarnishing the sanctification of Islam", "contrary to the fatwa" or "causing suspicion as well as open anxiety."
Book-banning is the predecessor to distant some-more dangerous as well as guileful developments. The collateral repairs combined in such the climate of mental commotion is usually to the detriment.
Here have been eight fundamental reasons why book-banning should stop.
1. Ban the book, tighten the mind
Book-banning is an try to stop giveaway upsurge of thought, ideas as well as information, usually the kind which does not conform to mainstream views. In Malaysia, the evidence is which these ideas might potentially emanate confusion, interrupt open order, and/or have been allegedly against the religion.
History shows which many criminialized publications have been now visionary as well as dauntles! s observ ations which promoted "sacrilegious" ideas, for example, the thought which the Earth is round, not flat. Choking hold is the single effect of book-banning though there is deeper injury inflicted upon society.
It sends the menacing signal, in the future nurturing fear of knowledge. A fearful thoughts is the sealed mind, the single which cannot emanate or furnish the bright future.
2. What upon earth have been you thinking?
Authorities which anathema books ostensibly hold which people cannot consider for 
themselves. When people have been barred from thinking, ideas have been combined in isolation. These inevitably strife with reality, or have no tie to it.
Ironically, this is the key factor which creates difficulty in society, formulating fruitful belligerent for the very same commotion the authorities explain they have been perplexing to prevent. Allowing giveaway upsurge of thought, however, gives people the opportunity to rivet as well as interact with new ideas, formulating colourful intellectual wake up as well as discernment. Robust ideas will ward off critique as well as argument.
3. Two thumbs down for the preparation system?
A great preparation complement produces people who can consider critically as well as with conscience. The drawn out banning of books is an acknowledgement of the failure of the existent preparation system.
It is the clear vigilance which you have unsuccessful to furnish Malaysians who can discuss it the disproportion in between hold as well as ignorance. Ironically (once again) the authorities' actions indicate which the complaint lies not in the book, though in an preparation complement which produces easily confused, disruptive as well as disrespectful citizens.
4. A corner of ideas
!In the democratic society, it is usually judicious which those who have been responsible for open administration contingency regularly be open to criticism. In fact, as adults you have the right to voice the opinions, some-more so upon the policies which govern as well as impact the daily lives.
However, when an management perceives the interpretations or solutions have been challenged, book-banning provides the means by which to suppress this criticism. In Malaysia as well as in the context of Islam in particular, book-banning is an try by the eremite authorities to monopolise the sermon to usually those who allow to the single sold point of view.
Freedom of expression is the universal worth guaranteed by the Federal Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as upheld in the teachings of Islam.
5. Irksome, ineffectual as well as irrelevant
The ostensible reason for banning the book is to stop it from being read. But all publicity is great publicity. A anathema merely arouses oddity as well as books which otherwise would not have garnered most interest will now be sought out by many some-more online.
Moreover, barriers to report have been decimated by the Internet. Not usually can the single buy the criminialized book online, the single can easily accumulate the "taboo" report with the couple of smart search words. A single email from the single individual to another can go viral, hitting the inboxes as well as social media accounts of thousands worldwide.
This materialisation is anything though new. Those who consider books should be criminialized have been simply exposing themselves as commodities which have long upheld their sell-by date.
6. Is this where the taxes go?
When the book is banned, the relevant government authorities mobilise resources, both human as well as financial, to raid bookstores as well as publishers, as well as seize the books. The price of this exercise in being m! eaningle ss or senseless is borne by the taxpayers when supports should instead be spent in ways which enrich, not cripple, the rakyat.
7. The hold economy
We listen to most about Malaysia becoming the knowledge-based multitude in mainstream news, an thought which is publicly promoted by authorities. The banning of books as well as the hold as well as ideas within them is in approach counterbalance to realising this goal.
A stunted thoughts cannot be the apparatus for expansion in the hold economy as well as will leave Malaysia distant behind, as the world races ahead towards the aloft quality of life.
8. Fundamental liberties in Islam
Islam is obviously formed upon beliefs of justice, equivalence as well as fairness. All the points above uncover which book-banning goes against all these principles. Random harassment of individuals, arbitrary book banning, violations of fundamental liberties as well as criminalising bona fide ways of earning the living cannot in any approach be equated with the probity as well as compassion which conclude as well as consecrate Islam.
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