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Malaysia inevitably bans book about the country's shameful persecution of a blogger who made a bacon joke
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 | 23rd April 2016
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| From themalaymailonline.com |
Five publications have been banned by the Malaysian Government as it was claimed that the books contain elements which could confuse easily confused muslims and cause moral harm. In fact the government was trying silence criticism over the persecution
of young bloggers who made a minor joke about bacon. The government book censors claimed that Alvin Tan's Sex, Pork, And Persecution: How's One Young Man's Fight Against Conformity Led to Imprisonment and Vilification was banned as it was
likely to be prejudicial to morality as it contained pornographic elements. The publication of Grey (Fifty Shades of Grey As Told By Christian) was also banned for being supposedly prejudicial to morality as it contained pornographic
elements. Three other books were also banned but these are not internationally known: Orang Ngomong Anjing Gong Gong was banned for supposedly being detrimental to public order, security and morality as it contained elements against
the Malaysian norms and moral ethics. Ajaran Makrifat Syekh Siti Jenar and Israk Mikraj: Tinjauan Saintifik Di Sebalik Kontroversi were banned as they were found to be prejudicial to public order and contained elements which could
confuse and harm the faith of Muslims. It is an offence under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 for anyone to print, import, produce, reproduce, publish, sell, issue, circulate, offer for sale and distribution, as well as to possess
such banned publications. Those convicted of the offence can be sentenced to a jail term of up to three years and a fine not exceeding RM20,000 or both. |
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The American Library Association publishes its annual list of the books that attract calls for censorship
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| 13th April 2016
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| See article from ala.org |
The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) receives reports from libraries, schools, and the media on attempts to ban books in communities across the country. We compile lists of challenged books in order to inform the
public about censorship efforts that affect libraries and schools. The top ten most challenged books of 2015 are:
Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James
Reasons: Sexually explicit,
unsuited to age group, and other ("poorly written," "concerns that a group of teenagers will want to try it"). I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
Reasons: Inaccurate, homosexuality,
sex education, religious viewpoint, and unsuited for age group. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin
Reasons: Anti-family, offensive language, homosexuality, sex education, political
viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other ("wants to remove from collection to ward off complaints"). The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
Reasons:
Offensive language, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other ("profanity and atheism"). The Holy Bible
Reasons: Religious viewpoint. Fun Home, by Alison
Bechdel
Reasons: Violence and other ("graphic images"). Habibi, by Craig Thompson
Reasons: Nudity, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group. Nasreen's Secret
School: A True Story from Afghanistan, by Jeanette Winter
Reasons: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group, and violence. Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan
Reasons: Homosexuality and other
("condones public displays of affection").
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