Silencing Moderate Voices?

Last week, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a circular banning the book “Breaking the Silence: Voices of Moderation” subtitled “Islam in a constitutional democracy”, first published in December 2015. One of the contributors to the book, Universiti Malaya law professor Azmi Sharom, has been reported saying that the authorities did not in fact explain why they consider the book “prejudicial to public order”. Another contributor Just World director Chandra Muzaffar says that the book is “It’s a collection of essays which intended to show that extremists and bigoted thinking on matters pertaining to the practice of Islam in the country should be combated in an intellectual manner.” Today we ask if in view of the successful over-turning of the Home Ministry's ban of a book titled “Muslim Women and the Challenge of Islamic Extremism”, this case will go to court.