An Ultraman comic book has been banned by the Malaysian Home Ministry. We wish there was a punchline to that, but there really isn’t.
Apparently, Dato’s Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s ministry has seen it fit to place the Bahasa Malaysia edition of the Japanese paragon of justice and kaiju-bashing’s comic book, “Ultraman the Ultra Power”, under Section 8 (2) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 for allegedly containing elements detrimental to public order.
“It is an offence under Section 8 (2) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 for any person to print, import, produce, reproduce, publish, sell, distribute, offer to sell or have in his possession for any such purpose the banned publication,” the ministry said in a statement.
UPDATE: Although there has been no official word on why the ban was put in place, the Twitter account of the Empayar Muda blog contends that particular issue of “Ultraman the Ultra Power” used the Arabic word “Allah” to describe one of the super-powered fictional characters in the book:
If this is the case, it’s the Home Ministry acting in line with its policy of coming down hard on anyone using the word “Allah” outside of a strict Islamic and Muslim context. Only in Malaysia can a Japanese superhero in a tight rubber suit and the Catholic Church have so much in common.
Related: Selangor Perkasa to Members: Don’t Protest in Front of Churches; Molotov Cocktails Thrown At Church In Penang
Photo: Jack Zalium / Flickr
Source: The Malay Mail Oline
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