Malaysiakini（http://www.malaysiakini.com）
Jakim: Disposal of cards with holy words may threaten Islam, 5 March 2012
by Bernama
The sanctity of Islam could be threatened if wedding invitations bearing hadiths and verses from the al-Quran are disposed of improperly.
Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Othman Mustapha said it can also be regarded as insulting the Quranic verses.
“Holy words in Islam such as ‘Bismillah’ and ‘Assalamualaikum’ cannot easily be used because there is concern that it may be abused and placed in improper places,” he said when contacted by Bernama in Kuala Lumpur today.
Othman said the use of holy words and hadiths in wedding invitations are believed to have good intentions for the purpose of reminding others, but should be avoided.
“If it’s for the sake of reminding, just writing its meaning would be sufficient,” he said.
He said the recipients of such cards should be more mindful in respecting the holy words by not disposing of it carelessly, adding that discarding material containing Quranic verses can be categorised as disrespecting the sanctity of Islam under Jakim’s Guidelines on Censoring Islamic Publications.
Othman said the disposal of publications with Quranic verses should be done following guidelines set by the Home Ministry.
Meanwhile, owner of Kanda & Dinda Wedding Cards, Mohd Natasha Md Nasir, when contacted, said he always advised customers against printing holy words like ‘Bismillah’.
“We don't encourage customers who want to print ‘Assalamualaikum’ in Jawi script, instead we advise them to print it in roman script,” he said.
Rajasehari2u.com owner Nor Azli Masrudin said they explained to couples about the pros and cons of using holy words in their wedding cards.
“We prepare a standard format for them, but if they insist on using holy words then we will cater to their request,” he added.
- Bernama
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