Kelantan Mufti Mohamad Shukri Mohamad said the centre would open the doors for more cooperation between Malaysia and other Islamic countries and become the source of reference on matters related to Quran printing.
“Indeed, the religious aspect has not been forgotten in the Budget 2015 because besides Islamic education and financial aid to pondok schools, the government will now build a centre with a vital role to play in the Muslim community,” he told Bernama.
Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak, when tabling Budget 2015 in the Dewan Rakyat, announced that the government would build a Quran printing centre in Putrajaya, the second largest in the world after the one in Saudi Arabia.
He said the government would allocate RM30 million over three years for the centre, which was expected to print up to one million copies of the Quran each year to be distributed worldwide.
Meanwhile, Mufti of Perak Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria said with the establishment of the centre, Malaysia would not need to depend solely on the Quran printing centre in Saudi Arabia.
“The move to build the centre will also boost the country’s economy, besides being a new attraction to Muslim community to learn more about Islam in Malaysia,” he said.
Malaysian Ulama Association president Sheikh Abdul Halim Abd Kadir said the move was indeed commendable, but he hoped that the government would also give emphasis on increasing public understanding of the Quran.
“The question now is how we can make optimal use of the centre, not only to print copies of the Quran, but also to train and educate the Muslim community to read and understand the Quran better.”
Source: The Rakyat Post