Malaysia bans 37 publications for undermining Islam

Thirty seven books and other publications on Islam were banned in Malaysia for containing "twisted facts" that could undermine Muslims' faith.

Che Din Yusoh, a senior official of the Publications and Quranic Texts Control Division, said in a statement Wednesday that 21 of the items were English-language publications from the United States, the United Kingdom and Jordan.

The statement said the 16 others were in the Bahasa Malaysia language, and were published in Malaysia and Indonesia.

"These publications can cause confusion and apprehension among Muslims and eventually jeopardize public order," Che Din said in a statement issued through the national news agency, Bernama.

It said the ban was imposed because "their contents and text on Islam twisted facts and true Islamic teachings, or contained elements that misled the faithful and humiliated the prophets."

Some of the books on the list released by Bernama have authors with Western names, and others were written by Muslims.