Muslims told to only buy Quran with hologram sticker

Muslims are advised to only buy copies of the Quran affixed with a hologram sticker approved by the Home Ministry.

Abdul Aziz Md Nor, secretary of the publication control and al-Quran text division in the ministry, said the hologram on the Quran was introduced on August 1 and features a number of high-tech security features including a serial number for reference.

"When we choose the Quran, we look at the beautiful packaging, but we do not know if it is genuine or not. So if it has a hologram, then we will know it is approved by the Home Ministry. If a problem arises, we can refer to the serial number on the hologram," he was quoted as saying today by Bernama Online.

"Many copies of the Quran in the market are genuine but sold without the permission of the ministry.

"We are afraid it will become an issue in future," he said.

Abdul Aziz said it was a requirement to obtain a certified true copy of the final proof from the al-Quran Printing Licensing Board under the ministry before Quranic texts are printed, published and sold.

He added that distributors and manufacturers of the Quran have been given until October to include the hologram stickers.