In a raid on a publisher’s office this morning, the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) confiscated translated versions of Irshad Manji's book ‘Allah, Liberty & Love'.

NONE ZI Publications director Ezra Zaid (right) said, on micro-blogging website Twitter, that about 20 enforcement officers had turned up at the office in Merchant Square, Petaling Jaya.

"Selangor getting in on the act. Jais have just dropped by office. In a group of 20 (fashionable that way). Taking books, and maybe me too," he tweeted.

According to the warrant issued by the Shah Alam Syariah Lower Court yesterday, the raid was conducted under Section 16(1)(a) or (b) of the Religious Publications Offences against Islamic Law.

Ezra also said he was taken to the Jais headquarters in Shah Alam under Section 47(1) of the Selangor Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 2003, and added that 180 copies of Manji's book were confiscated in the operation.

NONE When contacted, Ezra's lawyer Nizam Bashir said that he was released on  RM1,800 bail pending further investigations, although no charge had been made.

He said this was done under Section 22(5) of the Selangor Syariah Criminal Procedure Enactment, which reads, "If a case against the accused is postponed, then the accused must, unless released on bail, be detained in prison or police custody under an arrest warrant issued by a judge..."

Nizam said Ezra had a close brush with prison due to the limited time available to post bail before the banks closed.

"They called him into court only at 4pm. The bail was set at 4.15pm. So between 4.15pm and 4.30pm which is the time that banks normally close, he was supposed to produce a bank (passbook) with the amount of the bail in question. So certainly that is not quite reasonable," he said.

As it turned out, Ezra avoided prison by a mere five minutes.

 The case is to be mentioned on or before July 18.

On Twitter , Ezra thanked his supporters, who had started the #TeamEzraZaid hashtag.

"To my friends who started the #TeamEzraZaid - Very passionate. Thank you very much. We're gonna fight this. No two ways about it," he said.

  Quran contravened

The Home Ministry had banned Manji’s book last week, citing teachings that contravene the Quran and Hadith. This came several days after the Malay-language version of the book hit shelves nationwide. 

However, even before the ban was imposed, the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department had confiscated copies of the book from a book chain store in Bangsar.

The publishers then promptly recalled the books, pending submission of an appeal for judicial review of the Home Ministry’s decision.

Manji, a liberal Muslim activist who openly supports lesbian, gay and bisexual and transsexual lifestyles, was in Malaysia on May 19 to launch the book, but the government banned her from going on a roadshow.

According to her website, the seven-chapter book "shows all of us how to reconcile faith and freedom in a world seething with repressive dogmas... This book is the ultimate guide to becoming a gutsy global citizen".

In 2009, Malaysia had banned her book, 'The Trouble With Islam Today'.

NONE