MALAYSIA has banned an "Islamic sex guide" by a controversial group that reportedly urges Muslim men in polygamous marriages to have group sex with their wives, a report said today. The book was published by the Muslim "Obedient Wife Club", which was formed earlier this year and has sparked controversy with its radical suggestions on sex and marriage in conservative, Muslim-majority Malaysia.The Home Ministry has banned the book, titled "Islamic Sex, Fighting Jews to Return Islamic Sex to the World" with immediate effect, The Star daily reported. It cited Abdul Aziz Mohamad Nor, a top official in the ministry's publications division. Abdul Aziz was quoted as saying the book, the existence of which was first reported last month, was banned because of the wife club's links to the outlawed group Al-Arqam. Some people from the Obedient Wife Club and related organisations are former members of Al-Arqam, a Malaysian-based Islamic sect that was banned in the country in the 1990s as a deviationist cult.
Those found in possession of the book face fines of 50,000 ringgit ($15,800) while anyone caught reproducing it can be jailed up to three years, The Star reported. Abdul Aziz could not immediately be reached for comment.
The wives' club caused a stir earlier this year by calling on women to be "whores in bed" to prevent their men from straying and pursuing divorce. Malaysian media reports have said the book suggests Muslim husbands have sex with all their wives simultaneously.
One chapter, "How Sex Becomes Worship," reportedly contains unusually explicit sexual descriptions for a Malaysian publication, such as a tutorial on breast-fondling.
AFP has not seen a copy of the book.
But they are trying to get their hands on one.
Open discussion of sex is frowned upon in Malaysia, which regularly bans books deemed to be obscene or offensive to Islam.
Club organisers have previously said the book was exclusively for its members and was not intended for general distribution and thus should not be banned.