Home Ministry Bans 47-Year-Old Jimi Hendrix Album Cover Art

The Home Ministry has banned Jimi Hendrix’s 1967 album “Axis: Bold as Love” that bears the cover art depicting the late American rock legend and his bandmates as various forms of Lord Vishnu.

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A spokesman from the Home Ministry’s Publication Control and Quranic Text unit said today that compact discs (CDs) with the album cover art featuring the Hindu deity would be prohibited from entering the country and they would seize such CDs found in Malaysia. “We don’t care if Jimi Hendrix albums with cover art featuring Lord Vishnu come in, but if it uses Lord Vishnu’s image, then of course we won’t allow it,” an official told The Malay Mail Online.

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"Why should the album or CD be banned? The music is not heavy metal or black metal. "Only the artwork for the album cover is the issue here," she told The Malaysian Insider today.

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The spokesperson said there was also no ban on the artwork. "A ban means a 'perintah larangan' has been issued. Is there one? The ministry's enforcement will only seize the artwork.

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"The message here is please be careful when using designs for album cover arts. Why do they have to use the images of deities and replace the faces with those of the artists? "They should not create any unhappiness among followers of any religion, be it Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism or Islam," she said.

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A Hindu organisation in Penang wants the authorities to take immediate steps to prevent the use of images of deities in popular culture. The Penang Hindu Association (PHA) has taken offence to the sale and distribution of posters showing the head of American music legend Jimi Hendrix superimposed on the body of the Hindu deities of Lord Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma.

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PHA deputy president P. Murugiah said the potrait measuring 24 inches by 36 inches had incited `pain, anger and mental anguish on Hindus, who felt insulted and hurt. “Hinduism has existed for 5,000 years … why would anyone want to make fun of the religion and cause anguish? The importer which is local company should know better than to bring in such items into a multi-faith country.

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The picture of Hendrix that was superimposed on an image of Lord Vishnu as the Trimurti avatar along with Lord Shiva and Brahma was sold at the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale at the Penang Times Square between March 20 and 30.

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“We learnt from one of our members that the potraits were being sold at the book sale. When I went, I saw they were being sold at a corner of the fair. “I was told 10 potraits were displayed for sale at RM29 and seven had been sold by the time I got there.

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“The potraits were imported from America by Bookxcess. Such potraits directly insults the Hindu failth and all Hindus around the world. It is really a humiliation to the Hindu community,” he told a press conference.

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“Bookxcess must respect every religion. I know they sell books cheap but they must consider the feelings of believers,” he said.

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"Purchasing and owning this sort of posters, and supporting the distributors or importers of such defaming posters will only encourage other artists to come up with similar designs... it may end in chaos," he said.

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Following the PHA's complaint, the importer of the posters, Bookxcess Sdn Bhd, issued an apology.

"There was never any intention to hurt the Hindu community and for this, we are deeply sorry that the Hindu community was exposed to the offensive poster. Rest assured that we have taken every measured step to safeguard against this happening again,” Bookxcess managing director and founder Andrew Yap said in the apology.

"We have discarded the offensive posters since the first complaint was made,” he said.

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"We condemn the production, distribution and sales of such posters and other items produced in similar offensive manner. "We urge the Home Ministry, the Prime Minister's Department and Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs and all relevant authorities to take stern action against importers, distributors and those involved in producing, printing, publishing or marketing such items that can offend, humiliate and insult any religion directly or indirectly,” he told the media today.

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Murugiah also called on the government to impose penalties against those responsible for such deeds, and to confiscate and ban the offensive items.

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Murugiah added that PHA had written to the Home Ministry on May 1 seeking recourse. It was then told that the ministry had seized similar posters from warehouses in Johor and the Klang Valley.

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A spokesperson from the Home Ministry’s Publication Control and Quranic Text unit said the potraits were confiscated during a daily routine check at the import agents last month. “We found the potraits during our daily check last month because we were also looking for other items. It was not from the letter PHA had sent us but I remember the officers finding the portraits in one of the checks,” she said, implying it was found by chance.

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She said the confiscation was done in accordance with action on undesirable publications under Section 7 of the Printing Presses And Publications Act 1984. The law states that the minister can prohibit any publication containing any article, caricature, report, notes, photograph, writing, sound, music, statement prejudicial to public order, morality, security or likely to alarm public opinion.

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"The ministry acts on all publications that can be sensitive to any component of our society, regardless of their race and religion. If it is under our jurisdiction, the ministry will surely act," she said.

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“We’ll definitely take action against anything that violates religious sensitivities, whether it’s Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism or Islam. We must respect each other,” added the official who did not wish to be named.

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“We told them — don’t ever bring in this kind of thing,” the official said, adding that only posters were found, but not CDs.