SINGAPORE: Three books have been banned in Singapore for containing "exclusivist or extremist religious views that promote enmity among different religious communities", the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) said on Tuesday (Nov 20).
Two of the books also promote divisive views against other groups within the same religion, MCI said.
AdvertisementThe books are: Things That Nullify One’s Islaam by Shaykh al-Islaam Muhammad ibn ‘Abdil-Wahhaab; What Islam Is All About (Student Textbook) by Yahiya Emerick; and The Wisdom of Jihad by Abuhuraira Abdurrahman.
The teachings and ideologies in the books "are detrimental to Singapore’s inter and intra racial and religious harmony and relations", MCI said.
As such, they have been gazetted as prohibited publications under the Undesirable Publications Act.
"The Singapore Government has zero tolerance for individuals or publications which aim to incite hostility or violence among different religious groups, and has therefore decided to prohibit these publications," MCI added.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe ban is effective Nov 21. Those who have a copy of the publications should hand them to the police, MCI said.
In a separate statement, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) said also that books "advocate problematic and extremist views" and "encourage a culture of violence".
"These three books promote dangerous ideas that have been widely circulated in radical circles to justify crimes and violence. They run contrary to a peaceful, moderate understanding and practice of Islam in multi-cultural societies, and are harmful to socio-religious life in Singapore," said MUIS, recommending that they be restricted from circulation in Singapore.
Things That Nullify One’s Islaam promotes hatred and animosity towards non-Muslims, MUIS said. It also makes an obligation for any Muslim “to hate the disbelievers and have animosity towards them, and not to ally oneself with them, even if they were the closest of a Muslim’s relatives”, MUIS added.
What Islam Is All About (Student Textbook) propagates the importance of establishing an Islamic state, said MUIS, adding that the author accuses Muslim rulers of being hypocrites and slaves to the Christians. The author also denigrates non-Muslims, particularly Christians, MUIS said.
“Such views may lead to intolerance and cause non-discerning readers to develop animosity towards the West,” MUIS said.
The third book, The Wisdom of Jihad, urges Muslims to wage armed Jihad against non-Muslims, as well as Muslims who do not conform to the author’s view of Jihad. MUIS said the book also shares the same exclusivist and radical narratives as ISIS, and glorifies a Muslim rebel group in the Philippines, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
MUIS added in its statement that it wanted to remind the public that it is an offence to distribute prohibited publications.
It is also an offence for a person to possess any prohibited publication, or come into possession of any prohibited publication and fail to hand it over to the police.
Those convicted may be fined, jailed or both.
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