Wall Street Journal (http://blogs.wsj.com)
Lee Kuan Yew Book Still Halal in Malaysia, 12 December 2011
by Shibani Mahtani and Celine Fernandez
Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, is no stranger to controversy or ruffling feathers in neighboring Malaysia, but he could find his book “Hard Truths” added to the list works labeled haram, or prohibited.
Contrary to earlier local media reports, Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development (known locally as Jakim) says it has not decided whether it will declare the book as haram or recommend it be banned. Released nine months ago, the book is still under review by both Islamic authorities and Malaysia’s Home Ministry, the only body that has the power to ban books in the country.
Mr. Lee’s “Hard Truths”–which labels Muslims in Singapore as “distinct and separate” and urged them to be less strict on Islamic observances–joins 14 other books on Jakim’s list of potentially haram books, including H. U. Weitbrecht Stanton’s 1919 book “The Teachings of the Quran.”
The list comes at a time of warming relations between the neighbors. On Sunday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that his country will approach Singapore about collaborating on the Iskandar development corridor in Johor, which aims to turn the area into an economic hub, during a bilateral meeting next month, according to a report from Channel News Asia.
Jakim Director-General Othman Mustapha said Jakim decided to look into the book’s contents “following complaints from the public,” which he said was the “normal procedure” for declaring a book to be haram.
If the book is banned, having Mr. Lee’s “Hard Truths” would be considered an offence under the law for both Muslims and non-Muslims in Malaysia.
“If the Home Ministry bans it, if it is gazetted, then the book cannot be sold,” Azril Mohammed Amin, vice-president of the Muslim Lawyers Association in Malaysia, told The Wall Street Journal. If the book remains on the haram list but is not banned, buying the book would not be a crime but would still be “discouraged,” particularly for Muslims, he said.
Books such as Karen Armstrong’s “The Battle for God: Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam,” Mathew S Gordon’s “Islam,” Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses” and a sex guide produced by the pro-polygamy Islamic group the Obedient Wives Club are among the list of books currently banned by Malaysian authorities.
While Mr. Lee was not immediately available for comment, in a statement early this year he admitted that his own sentiments may be out of date.
“I made this one comment on the Muslims integrating with other communities probably two or three years ago,” Mr. Lee said in a report in the Straits Times in March. “Ministers and MPs…have since told me that Singapore Malays have made special efforts to integrate with the other communities, especially since 9/11, and that my call is out of date.”
Muslim leaders in Singapore have called on Jakim to elaborate on their decision to look into the book, questioned by many in both countries.
“I find the decision utterly ridiculous,” wrote Zan Azlee, a documentary filmmaker and writer, in an opinion piece in The Malaysian Insider. “I see the act by Jakim as an act that clearly defies the teachings of the Quran as it obstructs the quest for knowledge.”
Mr. Lee’s counterpart, Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, who is well-known for his dislike of Singapore’s veteran politician, has also not failed to weigh in on the recent controversy.
“Let him say what he likes. It doesn’t mean anything,” said Dr. Mahathir at the launch of an e-book version of his own memoirs, “A Doctor In The House.”
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