‘Obtain permission before printing’

KUWAIT CITY, May 23: The Public Authority for the Care of the Publication and Printing of Holy Quran has issued a statement to declare that the Holy Quran version, which is without the fourth chapter (Surah Al-Nisa’a), being circulated on social media was neither printed nor revised or licensed according to the best and most accurate technical specifications set by the concerned authority in Kuwait, reports AlAnba daily.

In a press statement, the authority spokesperson Mubarak Al-Hayyan said, “As soon as information was received from the Minister of Awqaf regarding the incident, the Director General of the authority Dr Fahad Al-Daihani took prompt action to refer the incident to the Public Prosecution so that necessary measures can be taken and those responsible for its unlicensed distribution in the country can be caught”.

He urged publishing houses, printing houses and libraries to adhere to law No. 10/2011 and obtain prior permission from the concerned authority to print, sell and circulate the Holy Quran.

Meanwhile, earlier, the Public Authority for the Care of Publication and Printing of Quran had referred a report related to the circulation of a copy of the Holy Quran that does not include chapter four (Surah Al-Nisa’a) to the Public Prosecution in order for the necessary measures to be taken against those who printed or published them and circulated them, reports Al-Rai daily.

According to an official source from the authority, the law on establishment of the authority obliges anyone who imports, distributes or publishes copies of the Holy Quran to obtain an official license to do so. The authority searched its records, and it became clear that the circulating copy of the Holy Quran without the fourth chapter is not registered with it, after taking its data from the image in circulation.