Al-Azhar's Islamic Research Academy on Thursday proposed a new law mandating 15-year jail terms for printing and publishing houses found guilty of making copy mistakes in published versions of the Quran.
Under the proposed law, the transgression would be classified as a felony rather than a misdemeanor, while offending printing or publishing houses would be forced to close.
According to Academy Secretary-General Sheikh Ali Abdel Baqi, a committee composed of academy members, Al-Azhar scholars and legal experts would draft the proposed legislation before referring it to the Shura Council (the consultative house of Egypt's parliament) for discussion.
Abdel Baqi also said the academy had decided to hold seminars nationwide to "raise religious awareness and assert national unity." The seminars, he explained, would also aim to combat "fundamentalist Salafist movements" and work towards improving relations between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
