I was much intrigued by the recent banning of Instant Caf Theatre's future shows by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, which acts as the moral guardian of Malaysians. This incident triggers past memories of other 'bans' and my curiosity has pushed me further to find out more about them.

So I 'Googled' the Internet and found a number of banned items over the years. Let's focus on the more obvious: movies, TV programmes and advertisements.

Just recently, fans of Marvel Comics' Daredevil were greatly disappointed when the movie was canned, for its reportedly 'violent content' and the fear that it may induce our youngsters to hero-worship someone who has the word devil in his name.

While Daredevil was axed, the horror sequel ' Final Destination 2 ', draped with scenes of bloody explosions, decapitations and people impaled with sharp pipes, was screened in the cinemas.

Ben Stiller's ' Zoolander ' was banned in 2001 because the movie included a plot to assassinate Malaysia's top leader. But the reason (in the plot) that leader was being targeted (by multinational fashion companies) because he stood up for the sweatshop workers in Malaysia by imposing the minimum wage law that upset the fashion tycoons.

What's wrong with that? However, after watching the movie, my speculation (for the ban) is because the top leader looked Chinese. That was, and still is, a speculation. The official line for the ban was 'definitely unsuitable'.

More butchery

In 1994, the censorship board initially banned Steven Spielberg's ' Schindler's List ' because it was 'sympathetic' to the Jews. It was later approved after some five minutes of violence and nudity were cut.

However, Spielberg refused to make the changes, and ' Schindler's List ' never hit the cinemas in Malaysia. I had to go to Singapore to watch it on the big screen.

' Saving Private Ryan ' (1998) was another Spielberg release which faced the wrath of Malaysia's moral guardians. In the same year, Wesley Snipe's ' Blade ' was also barred from our cinemas but international blockbuster ' There's Something About Mary ' found its way to the cinemas after 35 scenes were snipped.

In 1999, animated musical ' The Prince of Egypt ' was banned for its portrayal of the life of Moses which if screened, could have 'offended' the Muslims. Later that year, the Austin Powers sequel, ' The Spy Who Shagged Me ', was also banned because it contained 'too much sexual innuendos'.

The musical 'Incubus: Are You In' was reported to have been chopped for 'portraying free interaction between the sexes in an unruly and erotic manner, vulgarity and scenes of women wearing bikinis which may incite lust among men'.

Non-Western victims

Several non-Western films were also not sparred. Bahman Ghobadi's ' Marooned in Iraq ' which details the impact of Saddam Hussein's devastating chemical attacks on the Iraqi Kurds was labeled as a weapon of US propaganda which could 'dangerously jeopardise relations between Malaysia and Iraq.'

Thai horror flick ' Nang Nak ' was banned because it was horrible, literally speaking. The release of AM Rathnam's Tamil production ' Dhool ' was canned because it was full of violence while another Tamil film ' Kaveri ' featuring a water dispute between two states in India was also axed because the authorities here do not allow 'communal intolerance'. Hmm Really?

Just recently, it was reported that Malaysia banned a television programme featuring Indonesian dangdut singer Inul Daratista for being 'too raunchy' due to her 'drilling' dancing style.

Other TV works banned previously include four episodes of a documentary titled ' Kingdom of David: The Saga of The Israelites ', episode 809 of the popular US sitcom Seinfeld titled ' The Abstinence ', Year 8 Episode 11 'Friends ', ' The Video Tape' & 'But I'm a Cheerleader ' episodes of ' Friends ' and sitcom Ally McBeal 's " Queen Bee ".

A documentary called ' Yngwie Malmsteen: Play Loud ' was banned for 'showing singers sporting long hair and mop tops, wearing earrings and bangles and playing black metal music'. Singer Kylie Minogue's video ' Kylie Live in Sydney ' was also banned.

This time the authority was citing to tighten laws relating to content of films and video in response to rising crime rates in Malaysia.

Musical performances

Talking about musical performances. The performance of Ernest Bloch's ' Shlomo ' (1984), based on Hebrew melodies and played by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, was banned. The orchestra cancelled its visits to Malaysia. Veteran metal band Megadeth was also banned from performing here for using a skeleton mascot which is 'unsuitable for Malaysian youth'.

In addition to the show cancellation, it was reported that their album ' The World Needs a Hero ' had been confiscated from stores and the manufacturer had been prohibited from shipping further copies.

Moving on to advertisement, the most startling one is the banning of a car advert featuring Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt. The authorities argued that the promotion could be humiliating to Asian looks, creating inferiority complex among Asians.

I am pretty sure that they are many more 'bans' in Malaysia. Restrictions on freedom of expressions and freedom to information are highlighted by human rights organisation such as Suaram, Hakam , Aliran and other organisations. The authorities claim that they have the mandate to 'protect the interest of the country and people from bad influences and negative elements'.

But how should this be done? There should be a transparent and democratic process without restricting the minds of the people and depriving them of the opportunity to see the world.

Just before I go, in case you are interested to keep a dog, please make sure it is not among the banned breeds. The banned breeds are Pit Bull Terrier/Pit Bull (also known as American Pit Bull, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier), American Bulldog, Neapolitan Mastiff, Japanese Tosa, Akita, Dogo Argentino and Fila Braziliero.

Don't ask me why the dogs are banned but not the cats, you should ask the Department of Veterinary of Malaysia .

SAM HUI is an avid nature lover and photographer. He is a member of SOS Selangor, a campaign body against the Sungai Selangor dam project.