TOKYO -- A Japanese toon that has angered Muslims for its depiction of the Qur'an is being pulled from distribution by publisher Shueisha and toon house A.P.P.P. (Another Push Pin Planning), Japanese press reports revealed on Thursday.

The toon in question is "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure," which is based on a popular Shueisha comic by Hirohiko Araki that ran from 1987 to 2003. In the episode that raised the ire of Muslims, the villain is seen perusing the Qur'an as he orders the execution of the hero and his pals.

In a statement Shueisha explained that the original manga did not the depict the Qur'an, but that Arabic-illiterate A.P.P.P staffers, with the aim of adding more realism, copied a passage from the Islamic holy book for the toon scene in question.

The scene did not cause a commotion until a pirated version of the toon, in a six-episode DVD subtitled "Starship Crusdaders" released by A.P.P.P. in 2001, was posted on the Internet and aroused the anger of Muslim fans.

Sheikh Abdul Hamid Al-Atrash, chairman of the Fatwa Committee at Al-Azhar University in Cairo was quoted by Kyodo News as complaining that the scene "depicts Muslims as terrororists" and is "an insult to the religion."

Shueisha and A.P.P.P. said that they are withdrawing the DVD and original comic from the shelves, even thought the latter does not depict the Qur'an in its panels. They added that they are vetting both the comic and toon for further offenses to Islam.