Home Ministry: Crime to publish, read Quran in languages without accompanying Arabic text

KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 — The Home Ministry barred today the publication and reading of the Muslim holy book in non-Arabic languages, saying it was against the law unless accompanied by Arabic text.

Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria, chairman of the Home Ministry’s Al-Quran Printing, Control and Licensing Board, said the Quran was first written in Arabic and must be kept in that form, asserting too that anyone who read the original scriptures would reap spiritual rewards even without understanding them.

“The Board stresses that writing and reading the Quran in languages other than Arabic is prohibited,” Harussani said in a statement uploaded on the Home Ministry’s Facebook page.

“The writing of the Quran in other languages without being accompanied by Arabic text cannot be considered the Quran. Action can be taken under the Printing of Al-Quran Text Act (APTQ) 1986 and the Printing Machine and Publishing Act (AMCP) 1984,” he added.

The statement appears to be a warning to the organisers of a recent Quran reading campaign led by author Anas Zubedy, that promotes reading the scriptures in non-Arabic languages like Malay and English.

Harussani, who is also the Perak mufti, also said the Home Ministry viewed seriously the “Let’s Read the Quran” campaign.

The campaign, launched last month, features a selection of favourite Quranic verses of prominent Malaysians in English and Malay, including Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, wife of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and even Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, deputy minister in charge of Islamic affairs.

Harussani said today that translations of the Quran were meant to enable readers to understand the holy book, but stressed that such translations could not be considered the Quran.

“However, translations of the Quran must be accompanied with the text in Arabic. Translations of the Quran without the Arabic text are prohibited and it is feared that they may be misunderstood and that spiritual rewards cannot be gained by reading them,” he said.

At the launch of Anas’ “Let’s Read the Quran” campaign, Dr Mahathir had advocated for the Quran to be taught in the vernacular so that non-Arabic speakers can understand the holy book.