Calling the move “irrational”, its executive director Eric Paulsen said the action taken by Putrajaya was also out of step with reality.
“This is especially so in the age of the internet and social media. It has also made the prime minister’s repeated claim that Malaysia is a model of moderate Islam, meaningless and without basis.
“By no stretch of the imagination have any of these books at any time remotely threatened public disorder or security to justify the authorities banning them,” he tweeted.
Contacted by FMT, Paulsen said differing views should be debated.
“If the authorities or certain ministers or politicians disagree with what Zaid had written, all they needed to do was release a press statement or debate him about it.
“That is not the case, of course, and they just ban the book. It’s an outdated way of thinking, this would have worked in the ’50s or ’60s but today we are talking about fundamental freedom, there’s the internet and social media, so ideas should be shared and discussed.
“If what Zaid said was controversial and different from the viewpoint of the government, yes, then debate it. In a flourishing democracy ideas should be debated.”
Paulsen continued to criticise the move in a string of tweets.
“The arbitrary banning of such books can only be counterproductive of the government’s own efforts to curb extremism in Malaysia.
“The suppression of debate can only further embolden the intolerant environment that is unaccepting of different viewpoints and especially of minority rights. This has led to increasing numbers of individuals being radicalised.
“Malaysia, as a supposedly modern democracy, should not continue down the path of repression and totalitarianism where books can be banned on a whim.
“Why fear differing viewpoints and knowledge? Books should be read, not banned, confiscated and destroyed,” he tweeted.
After discovering that his book was banned by the home ministry, Zaid said he was “sad that Malaysians were so scared of books”.
Zaid said he was also not consulted nor informed by the home ministry of their intention prior to the ban.
Zaid, who joined DAP earlier this year, launched the book in October 2015. In it, he talked about a new and fresh conversation about the role of Islam in Malaysian politics and in public life.
A check with a local bookstore website indicated that the book, which was on sale for RM19, is now banned.
FMT is still awaiting confirmation from the home ministry on the banning of the book.
This is the latest book related to publications that touch on Islam to be banned in the past three months.
On Oct 3, the home ministry announced that five books with Islamic content, by Turkish author Mustafa Akyol, and two Malaysians – Ahmad Farouk Musa and Faisal Tehrani – had been banned.
In an official government gazette dated Sept 28, 2017, the home ministry said the books were banned as they were likely to be prejudicial to public order as well as to alarm public opinion.