Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Akyol’s book, “Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty”, does not conform to local norms and as such had to be banned.

“Had we allowed it to be distributed, it could have national security implications,” Zahid told reporters today.

“Islam Without Extremes”, a best-seller first published in New York, discusses the question of freedom and liberty in Muslim societies, a topic close to Akyol’s works.

The Malay edition of the book is published by Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF), who hosted Akyol’s recent lecture tour to Malaysia which ended with his arrest after religious authorities accused him of teaching religion without official credentials. Akyol has maintained he was speaking in his capacity as an academic.

Zahid had signed a series of federal government gazzettes issued last week, banning several titles dealing with topics on Islam.

Besides Akyol’s work, several works by IRF director Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa, novelist Faisal Tehrani and politician Wan Ji Wan Hussin were also banned.

The government said the works were “likely to be prejudicial to public order” and could “alarm public opninion”.

Zahid meanwhile said any decision to ban a book was taken after a careful evaluation of its contents.