The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) which is in charge of religious affairs in the country, has urged the Home Affairs Ministry to ban a deviant religious book entitled The Sunni and Shiah are Christians .

When contacted today a Jakim official confirmed that several religious books were referred to the department because they contained false information about Islam.

Yesterday, malaysiakini reported that several Islamic groups in the country were resorting to publishing books containing deviant teachings to recruit new followers.

These books are distributed openly to the public as well as to mosques and other Islamic institutions in the county.

Two such books are Tiang Agama (Pillar of Religion) and Ahlul Sunah dan Shiah sebenarnya Kristian (The Sunni and Shiah are Christians). The former was banned in 1999.

The books, whose authors are not mentioned, contain false information about the basic tenets of Islam and that of Prophet Muhammad.

"We have a list of books recommended to be banned, said the Jakim official, adding that the department has always been vigilant over the presence of such books.