PUTRAJAYA, July 27 (Bernama) -- The Appeals Court here today upheld a high
court decision to lift a home ministry ban of a book, entitled ''Muslim Women
and the Challenges of Islamic Extremism'' by Sisters in Islam (SIS) Forum
(Malaysia).
Justice Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail, who chaired a three-member panel, held that
the book was not prejudicial to public order.
"The former home minister''s satisfaction that the book was prejudicial to
public order, in absence of any clear evidence of any prejudicial events
occurring, was in outrageous defiance of logic, and falls squarely within the
realm of unreasonableness and irrationality," said Abdul Wahab.
He said High Court judge Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof confined himself properly
to his duty in the judicial review brought by SIS Forum, and the judge was
correct in finding objectively that the book was not prejudicial to public
order.
In dismissing the appeal brought by former home minister Tan Sri Syed Hamid
Albar against the high court''s decision to lift the ban on the book, Abdul
Wahab said, if the book was said to be against the Islamic Advancement
Department''s (Jakim) guideline, that did not address the issue of whether the
book was prejudicial to public order.
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