The G25, a group comprising eminent Malays who had served in the civil service and as diplomats, said it was forced to take such action after all other avenues had been exhausted.
“Since its ban, G25 has tried to get the ban removed without resorting to a judicial review. We first sent a request to remove the ban in a letter to Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“We also requested meetings with the home minister through former prime minister and author of the book’s foreword, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s office but received no response,” G25 said in explaining its reason for having to take the legal route, with the judicial review filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
The ban on the book was made under the Printing Presses and Publications (Control of Undesirable Publications) (No. 12) Order 2017, and signed by Zahid on June 14. It was later gazetted on July 27.
The home ministry, through its secretary-general Alwi Ibrahim, later revealed that the book was banned for containing material that may be “detrimental to security and public order, jeopardising morality and public interest, and corrupting the minds of the public”.
“The book was banned because it contains elements promoting liberalism and pluralism which are contrary to Islam’s Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah (Sunni) teachings,” he said in a statement on Aug 21.
The book published by Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) in Singapore, a company that focused on academic works, was first launched on Dec 5, 2015 by Umno veteran and Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
“We are still baffled as to why the book was banned, having been kept in the dark on the grounds for the ban and the parts which are deemed ‘prejudicial to public order and cause alarm to public opinion’.
“This is especially when the purpose of the book is merely to explore the concept of moderation in Islam, in the context of Malaysia as a constitutional democracy with a national aspiration to be a fully developed country and a model for the Muslim world.”
The book discusses the impact of Islamic bureaucracy in Malaysia and its consistency with the provisions of the Federal Constitution. It also addresses its socio-political dimensions and cultural-economic implications on Malaysian society.
G25 voiced fears over the message that the ban on their book and other books which also convey a moderate Islam message sends to Muslims in the country.
“We are forced to ask the question that if a book on moderation, written by experts, academics, and scholars is banned, what else will follow?
“We fear that moderation will now be the new taboo on intellectual discussions and academic writings.”
G25 added that the statements it issues on various issues and the book itself is meant to educate the public that for peace, stability, and economic progress, moderation in politics and religion must be practised, in addition to the principles of good governance in the administration of the country.
“G25 will continue in its efforts to promote discourse and knowledge sharing on issues of public interest in the practice of Islam and good governance, all of which will eventually impact the economic performance of the country.”
Govt confirms G25 book ban for ‘promoting liberalism and pluralism’