Malaysia: cease harassment of writer and publisher
Cover of Unveiling Choice by Maryam Lee
25 April 2019 – The Malaysian authorities must cease their harassment of author and activist Maryam Lee and her publisher Gerakbudaya, said PEN International today, as they face investigation by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor – JAIS) in connection with Lee’s debut book.
Activist Maryam Lee is the author of Unveiling Choice, a work of non-fiction in which she explores her decision to stop wearing the hijab. To mark its launch, on 13 April, the book’s publisher Gerakbudaya hosted an event at its bookshop in Petaling Jaya, near Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, in which Lee, along with two other women, discussed their experiences as women no longer wearing the hijab in Malaysia.
According to media reports, backlash on social media – thought to emanate, for the most part, from individuals who had not attended the panel discussion – prompted an investigation by JAIS.
“What a woman should wear should be her decision. What the woman should say about that choice should also be her decision. How other women wish to discuss it should also be the choice of the women. Men, religious groups, and governments may have a view in the matter, which they are free to express. But it is wrong for any of them to prevent women from meeting peacefully, discussing issues, writing about whether or not to wear a veil, and talking about it. Any inquiry or investigation that the government wishes to launch in this regard is an abuse of its power and is far from the kind of Malaysia its new government promised when it was elected to power last year. The inquiry and the proceedings must be stopped, and no restrictions should be placed on Maryam Lee's book, Unveiling Choice,” said Salil Tripathi, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee.
On 16 April, officers of JAIS reportedly visited the Gerakbudaya bookshop and took statements from staff. They also asked to see copies of the book itself. In a statement, Lee and her co-panellists emphasised that:
“We are ready to give full cooperation to the authorities however we are unequivocal that there has been no transgression of Malaysian laws. We condemn this unnecessary investigation as abuse of power to harass and intimidate women activists who are speaking up on issues affecting women, and organisers for intellectual discussions that do not serve the status quo. We implore the public and the authorities to explore the subject at hand with rational thinking and dialogue, as we believe in healthy discourse and the defense of democratic spaces for all minorities in Malaysia.”
The precise status of the investigation and what charges, if any, Lee, her co-panellists or Gerakbudaya might face remain unclear. PEN will continue to monitor developments closely.