Malaysian publishers unhappy about ‘Tax’ on Quran

A rule by Malaysian home ministry’s Publications and Quranic Texts Control Division that every copy of the Quran must bear a special hologram is unsettling local publishers, who say

A rule by Malaysian home ministry’s Publications and Quranic Texts Control Division that every copy of the Quran must bear a special hologram is unsettling local publishers, who say it is a form of unauthorized tax by the government and a regressive step for Muslims.

Under the rule first announced in 2011, every copy of the Quran in the original Arabic text must bear a hologram sticker purchased by publishers at RM1 each, as proof that the texts have been checked by a panel appointed by the home ministry.

Following protests, the ministry in 2017 halved the hologram price to 50 sen, but publishers say it is still an additional cost on the production of the Quran, which is already subject to several strict conditions.

These include requirements to follow a certain standard format based largely on a Saudi government-owned Quran printing press, and to get the draft copy proofread by a panel of experts appointed by the ministry for a fee.

In 2017, the “proofreading fee” was increased five-fold, from RM300 to RM1,500.