Four publications banned for sowing distrust

Four foreign publications have been banned for causing "social distancing, distrust, hatred and even violence among people of different faiths and religious views".

Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim said in a statement yesterday: "The Government strongly condemns the use of such publications to espouse destructive ideologies and promote enmity between communities."

The titles are Book Of Tawheed 1, Book Of Tawheed, Encyclopaedia For Fiqh In Islam In Al-Quran And As-Sunnah, and Islamic Guidance For A Muslim, released between 2011 and 2016 by Jakarta publishers.

The ban covers physical and soft copies of the publications, said an MCI spokesman.

While Singapore's public libraries do not carry these books, some are available in local bookstores, which have been told of the ban, the spokesman added.

As they have been gazetted under the Undesirable Publications Act, it is an offence to distribute or possess them. Offenders can be fined, jailed, or both.

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