By Danial Dzulkifly
PETALING JAYA, April 4 — Business premises in Selangor face licence revocation if they are found to inappropriately display Quranic verses on their products or premises, said state executive councillor for Islam Dr Fahmi Ngah.
He said this is part of the state’s proactive efforts to safeguard the sanctity of Islam while maintaining social harmony within Selangor following.
This comes in the wake of the controversy surrounding the sale of socks bearing the word “Allah” at one of KK Mart’s outlets in Selangor.
Fahmi added that following instruction from Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari, several state agencies have conducted random checks at KK Mart branches in the Petaling and Klang districts, but did not find any similar offence committed.
“We have conducted several random inspections at various KK Mart outlets in these districts and confirmed that none of them are currently selling socks labelled with the name ‘Allah’ or have them in stock.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the management of KK Mart for taking decisive action to cease the sale of such socks,” he told reporters when met at the Yayasan Telekom Malaysia’s (TM) Cahaya Ramadan programme at the Tengku Kelana Jaya Petra Mosque, here, today.
Fahmi explained that the sale of any materials displaying Quranic verses without the approval of the authorities can be prosecuted under the Printing of Quranic Texts Act 1986, which carries a maximum fine of RM 50,000 and imprisonment up to five years.
The Seri Setia assemblyman said such offences can also be enforced through Section 298A of the Penal Code, which prohibits any act or activity that causes or may cause disharmony, disunity or feelings of enmity, hatred, ill will, or malice, or that harms harmony on religious grounds.
Similarly, Fahmi urged the public not to engage in vigilantism and allow the authorities and other legal instruments to enforce the law.
“We want to assure the residents of Selangor that the situation is under control and the business owners have taken appropriate steps to halt the sale of such socks.
“We also want to clarify that the number of socks found is very small. So, at this stage, we are not sure whether it is an act of sabotage against the business owners because we believe no rational entrepreneur would deliberately do such a thing.
“We hope that the public will continue to remain vigilant and not to be worried as enforcement actions have been taken.
“This country has its laws and regulations. So, we suggest the public to adhere to the provisions of the law and avoid violations that could disrupt the unity and harmony among the communities in the state,’’ he said, adding that the public should report to the authorities if they find other products that inappropriately display Quranic verses or terms.
Meanwhile, at today’s event, Yayasan TM collaborated with the Seri Setia state assembly office to deliver aid, including cash and food baskets, to 100 asnaf (tithe recipients) and needy families in the constituency.
Recipients received aid totalling approximately RM300 per person.
The programme is part of a nationwide campaign by Yayasan TM to deliver aid during the month of Ramadan to 3,000 families with a total allocation of RM320,000.
