KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian authorities plan to ban a book about sex published by a group of Muslim women who call themselves the Obedient Wives Club and advocate subservience to husbands, an official said Thursday.
The
Malay-language book titled "Islamic Sex" is not available at stores but
is believed to have been read by hundreds of members of the club formed
this year by a small Malaysian Islamic sect that practices polygamy.
The
book contains no explicit photographs but was written by the club's
56-year-old founder to describe her experiences and opinions on
marriage. It has passages on how couples should physically and
spiritually approach sex, claiming that most women only satisfy 10
percent of their husbands' sexual needs.
The
government's Islamic affairs department studied the 115-page book and
recommended banning it because it could cause confusion among Malaysia's
Muslim majority about acceptable religious teachings, a Home Ministry
official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to
make public statements.
Authorities
have not decided when to formally ban the book, but people caught in
possession of it could be fined up to 5,000 ringgit ($1,600), the
official said. Anyone who makes copies of it for sale can be imprisoned
for three years and fined 20,000 ringgit ($6,400).
Representatives of the Obedient Wives Club did not immediately answer calls to them Thursday.
Club leaders
showed the book to journalists last month in an attempt to dispel what
they called misconceptions that it was obscene and demeaning for women.
They said the book was intended to be a spiritual guide read exclusively
by club members to help them comprehend sex better.
Many
Malaysians have denounced the club, saying it makes a mockery of modern
gender roles in a country where women hold prominent posts in the
government and private sector.
Club leaders have said a wife should serve as a "good sex worker" and a "whore" to her husband.
The
Obedient Wives Club is believed to have at least 800 members in
Malaysia and has established branches abroad in Indonesia, Singapore,
Jordan and Britain. Many club members are in polygamous marriages,
insisting the practice helps husbands to avoid committing adultery.
Islam allows men to take up to four wives.
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