Ministry seizes unapproved copies of al-Quran, reading material worth RM100,000
BUTTERWORTH: The Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) seized 1,907 copies of the Quran and 2,060 printed materials containing reading material from the holy book, all worth RM100,000 through ‘Ops Mulia’ conducted in Bukit Mertajam in January.
KDN Enforcement and Control Division secretary Nik Yusaimi Yussof said all the Quran copies and reading material were confiscated as they did not get the approval of the Quran Printing, Licensing and Control Board (LPPPQ).
“We carried out intelligence gathering since last October before raiding a flat in Taman Alma, Bukit Mertajam on Jan 9, and arrested a local man in his 40s who is believed to be selling the items.
“Based on the investigation, the house had been rented since last year and all the Quran copies and reading materials were distributed and sold by the man as his main source of income,” he said at a press conference here Wednesday.
He said the inspection carried out in collaboration with the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) also found that the confiscated copies did not follow the Ottoman Quran manuscript as set by the Malaysian government.
Nik Yusaimi said all the items were believed to be brought in from Indonesia before being sold through online platforms and bookstores, as well as distributed throughout the country.
He said there was a fear that the copies contained incorrect verses or lines and that it could cause misreading or misinterpretations by Muslims.
Meanwhile, commenting on ‘Ops Mulia’ which was carried out in Penang and Selangor earlier this year, Nik Yusaimi said that the total seizures of unapproved material amounted to RM160,000.