(Singapore) The Singapore authorities announced on Monday that they had banned a book devoted to the censorship of cartoons considered “offensive” and notably containing reproductions of the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published by the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.
This work, entitled Red lines: political cartoons and the fight against censorship is banned from sale in Singapore, the government media and publications authority Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said.
The book is considered “reprehensible” because it contains reproductions of the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published by Charlie hebdo, the publication of which sparked violence and massive protests, IMDA said.
“The offensive Charlie Hebdo cartoons first appeared in 2006 and were widely viewed as irresponsible and racist,” the agency added.
According to IMDA, the book also contains references that denigrate Hinduism and Christianity.
Anyone found guilty of importing, selling, distributing or reproducing a publication deemed objectionable is liable to a fine of 5,000 Singapore dollars (3,700 US dollars), imprisonment for one year, or both.
The authors of “Red Lines” are Singaporean Cherian George, a university professor specializing in free speech and censorship, who currently lives in Hong Kong, and comic book author Sonny Liew, who lives in Singapore, and winner of several awards.
Published in August by MIT Press, the book contains interviews with cartoonists who have fallen victim to censorship in different countries around the world.
Charlie Hebdo, which published caricatures of the prophet of Islam in 2006, was the target in 2015 of an attack that killed twelve people at the editorial office in Paris.
Massive protests have taken place in Middle Eastern and Asian countries after President Emmanuel Macron defended the right to publish cartoons deemed blasphemous in the name of freedom of expression.
Singapore’s population, which is predominantly ethnic Chinese, has a large Muslim minority. The law severely punishes hate speech and behavior arousing animosity between religious or ethnic communities.