Selangor bans activist's 'de-hijabbing' book for Muslims

Selangor bans activist's 'de-hijabbing' book for Muslims

Published: Nov 12, 2026 5:10 PM


Selangor religious authorities have ruled that activist Maryam Lee's book, "Unveiling Choice", regarding the choice to wear the headscarf, deviates from Islamic teachings.

The fatwa was issued on May 29, but was only shared on the Selangor State Mufti Department's social media yesterday, seven years after an investigation into the book began.

The department gazetted the decision under Section 47 of the Administration of the Religion of Islam (State of Selangor) Enactment 2003, regarding the power of the fatwa committee to prepare a fatwa.

According to the three-page gazette, “Unveiling Choice” and its translations contradict the teachings of Sunni Islam, the sole school of thought (mazhab) recognised in Malaysia.


According to the state fatwa committee, the book claims that the obligatory ruling to wear the hijab to cover a woman's aurat - specifically her hair - is based on a patriarchal interpretation of syariah (Islamic law) evidence.

Furthermore, “Unveiling Choice” is also alleged to have stated that Muslim women are free to choose whether to wear the hijab based on their own desires - an interpretation not guided by legal rulings that have been definitively established.

“Unveiling Choice” is also alleged to have characterised:

(1) The ruling on wearing the hijab as merely a cultural demand rather than a requirement of the Islamic religion.


(2) The obligatory ruling on wearing the hijab as being based solely on rationalism or intellect, rather than on syariah evidence.

‘Repent and seek forgiveness’

Therefore, the fatwa committee prohibits Muslims from practising or adhering to the book, disseminating it, or attending any gatherings that can be associated with the ideology it promotes.


Possessing, keeping, publishing, copying, printing, selling, distributing, or broadcasting any material that highlights the book's ideology in any form is also an offence for Muslims.

“Any Muslim who participates in, practises, or adheres to the ideology of the book written by Maryam titled ‘Unveiling Choice’ and its translated versions, or any book or pamphlet that bears similarities to it, must immediately repent and seek forgiveness from Allah SWT,” according to the gazette, signed by Selangor fatwa committee chairperson Anhar Opir.


Malaysiakini is unable to verify the authenticity of the book's contents at this time.

However, according to its publisher Gerakbudaya's website, Maryam’s first book is about her long journey in taking off the hijab.

According to Gerakbudaya, the book is meant to inspire empathy and compassion towards women like her who went through a journey that meant making decisions that sometimes went against cultural norms.

“She does not believe in waiting for society to be ‘ready’: in fact, she believes that the harder the conversation, the bigger the change (that needs to happen),” according to a promotional excerpt on the website.

Who is Maryam?

Maryam is an activist in various human rights and community organisations, in addition to working in the fields of strategic communications and technology policy.

In October 2019, Maryam was summoned by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) to cooperate in an investigation which she believed was in relation to a discussion held in April at the launch of the book.

This came after then-minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Mujahid Yusof Rawa said he was “seriously concerned” about the event and had contacted Jais about it.

Maryam had launched the book at a forum entitled “Malay women and de-hijabbing”, held at the Gerakbudaya bookstore in Petaling Jaya.

The event also received backlash from conservatives on social media.

Maryam Lee

Claiming that freedom of religious beliefs is not an insult to Islam, Maryam had asked her readers to send their testimonies to the authorities explaining how the book is not insulting Islam, and calling for them to drop investigations against those sharing personal journeys of women taking off their hijab.

Aside from the headscarf issue, she was also embroiled in another controversy in 2018 for entering the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur while only wearing a skirt.

She is also known for frequently writing and speaking out against the culture of moral policing in Malaysia, which often sparks heated debates between conservatives and human rights activists.

Malaysiakini is attempting to obtain a response from her and Gerakbudaya.