KUALA LUMPUR: A bookstore manager in Malaysia has been charged with illegally selling a book by Canadian Muslim academic and lesbian activist Irshad Manji's book “Allah, Liberty and Love.” An Islamic court here on Tuesday reportedly charged Nik Raina Nik Abdul Aziz with flouting the ban and attempting to sell the text to customers despite a ban on the book last month by government censors. Activists and readers in the country told Bikyamasr.com that the ban was “ridiculous” and that “people should be able to choose for themselves what they read and how they react.” Mohid Datuk Serat, a university student and political science major in Kuala Lumpur, told Bikyamasr.com that he hopes the charges will be dropped, or the government will intervene somehow. “It is really a dark spot on our future right now to be banning books and trying to force a certain belief over people,” he began. “I just wish the government would let us choose how we want to react to different views.” The Home Ministry banned the book last month after it was deemed offensive to Islam, contained “elements that could mislead the public,” and was “detrimental to public order.” According to Manji's website, the book “shows all of us how to reconcile faith and freedom in a world seething with repressive dogmas.” She has been a longtime proponent of tolerance and understanding within Islam, and describes herself as a “practicing Muslim.” The seller faces up to two years in jail and a fine if the Islamic court finds her guilty, her lawyer Rosli Dahlan said. No plea was recorded Tuesday with the next court date set for September 19. Rosli said Islamic officials raided the store before the book ban was officially announced, and the shop had filed a court case to declare the raid illegal. Rosli added that Nik Raina had no authority over deciding which books to sell and was being singled out because those in charge of merchandising were ethnic Chinese non-Muslims. Non-Muslims cannot be charged in Islamic courts. Malaysia has a system of Islamic courts that run parallel to the country's civil courts and administer civil matters for Muslims who make up some 60 percent of the country's 30 million people. Manji launched the book, together with a Malay-language translation, at a hastily arranged event in Kuala Lumpur on May 19 amid criticism by Muslims. Her previous internationally acclaimed book, “The Trouble with Islam Today,” is also banned in Malaysia. Malaysia frequently bans books, especially those deemed obscene or against Islamic teachings. But it is rare for Islamic courts to target bookstores. New York-based Human Rights Watch has called on the government to reverse the book ban, saying it was “old-fashioned state repression” and “cowardly.”
