Samad said the government should not hide behind a standard reason, as was the case when it slapped a ban on the works of prominent Turkish author Mustafa Akyol, local novelist Faisal Tehrani, as well as two other books edited by Muslim activist Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa.
“It is most strange that almost all the books authored by Faisal are banned. Surely there must be a very big reason to do that,” the poet who is better known as Pak Samad, told FMT.
“I don’t think one or two lines are sufficient to explain the ban. The government must provide sensible reasons to the public,” he said.
Pak Samad said a proper explanation would allow an author to avoid repeating the perceived weaknesses in future works.
Pak Samad however said he had not read Faisal’s latest banned work, “Aku ___ Maka Aku Ada”, the seventh title by the university professor to be banned for allegedly posing a threat to public order.
The latest list of banned books is mentioned in a series of government gazettes issued on Sept 28, signed by Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
One of the books is “Islam Tanpa Keekstreman: Berhujah Untuk Kebebasan”, the Malay edition of Akyol’s international best-seller, “Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty”.
Akyol was recently on a lecture tour organised by Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF), where he launched the book “Tertutupnya Pemikiran Kaum Muslim”, another Malay translation of his work. His visit ended abruptly after Islamic authorities summoned him on a charge of speaking on Islam without official credentials, before detaining him for 18 hours.
Two volumes under a series called “Wacana Pemikiran Reformis” edited by Farouk, the IRF director, have also been banned.
When contacted, Faisal told FMT that he only received a written notice from the ministry.
“No detailed explanation was provided. If they are doubtful or needed an evaluation, they could have referred back instead of just banning,” said Faisal, a recipient of the “Anugerah Seni Negara” (National Arts Award) from the government in 2006.
Faisal is the pen name for Dr Faizal Musa, a Malay studies expert at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
“This is an attempt to control the minds of the public. This ban will not help the book industry which is already facing an uncertain future,” he added.
Previously, authorities banned six of his novels, believed to be over complaints by some quarters that they were inspired by Shia Islam, which Islamic authorities in Malaysia regard as deviant.