RECENTLY, the Home Ministry banned five publications. The ban was made under the Government Gazette P.U. (A) 270-274, dated Nov 26. The reason given was that the books contain elements that could confuse Muslims and damage their faith.
Though I am not an authority to comment nor suggest on the banning of four of the books related to Islam, I was taken back and surprised on the ban on Baha’ullah and the New Era, an introductory book about the Bahai faith, originally written by J.E. Esslemont and published in 1923.
The book consists of 15 chapters which describe the evolution of the faith. It has been revised and updated several times, and is published electronically and is available online, accessible to anyone for free.
In this country, this book has been available for 50 years, widely used by the Bahais to inform and educate the non-Muslim public about the Bahai faith.
This particular book was not at anytime used to preach nor proselytise the Bahai faith to Muslims in Malaysia. Bahais are law-abiding citizens in any country they reside, and one of the cardinal principles of the faith is to be loyal to the government of the land, at any particular time.
Banning the book would only create curiosity for those who have not even heard about the Bahai faith and inspire them to read the book.
As I am sure the government is aware, we are living in a technological age where any material is easily available electronically.
I can remember when The Malay Dilemma by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was banned in the 1970s. Back then, it was really a ban because the technological age had not arrived yet.
Though many were eager to read it, they were only able to do so when the ban was removed later.
As the government's good intention is to prevent Muslims from being confused or having their faith damaged, which is relevant and significant, they should find innovative ways to stop this from happening. Banning a book in this digital age, where it can be accessible at a fingertip, is an obsolete and outdated preventive measure.
We cannot burn or ban digital books. Who is going to go around enforcing the law, to check on who is reading what and when on their laptops or iPads?
I presume this ban is only for hard copies of the publications, not for digital books, which are readily available.
With all the think tanks that the government has at its disposal, there must be better ways to prevent people from reading these books.
Stability to the Muslim mind and soul will bring peace and prosperity to this country which we all love and call our home.
n K.T. MARAN,Seremban, Negri Sembilan