Malaysia bans former Singaporean leader’s book for criticizing Islam

The book, “Lee Kuan Yew: Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going” was a collection of interviews published in January and was included in a list of 15 books declared as forbidden by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim). AL ARABIYA 

A book by former Singaporean premier Lee Kuan Yew has been declared as “haraam” (forbidden) in Malaysia for urging Muslims to be lax in their Islamic observances in the South East Asian island state. Declaring the book as forbidden came nine months after the book made its debut in Malaysia’s bookstores, the Malaysian Insider newspaper reported on Thursday The book, “Lee Kuan Yew: Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going” was a collection of interviews published in January and was included in a list of 15 books declared as forbidden by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim). According to the newspaper, “the list of the 15 books is sent to the home ministry for further action but it is unclear if the home ministry has followed suit and banned the books.” Yew, a former Singaporean prime minister, senior minister and minister mentor for 52 years before retiring in May, said in his book that Muslims in Singapore were socially “distinct and separate” and should “be less strict on Islamic observances” to aid integration and the city-state’s nation-building process. His statement created uproar in the multi-cultural and multi-ethnic state of Singapore, of which the Malay-Muslim population constitute 15 percent of the country’s population. Yew retracted his statement in March ahead of general elections in the island.