KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — 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 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 an Islamic sect that practices polygamy.
The book contains no explicit photographs but was written by the club’s founder, 56, 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 the Muslim majority about acceptable religious teachings, an official said.
Authorities have not decided when to formally ban the book, but people caught in possession of it could be fined up to $1,600, the official said. Anyone who makes copies of it for sale can be imprisoned for three years and fined $6,400.
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 members are in polygamous marriages, insisting the practice helps husbands to avoid committing adultery. Islam allows men to take up to four wives.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
