Laleh Bakhtiar sits in front of her computer hours before dawn, recording verses from her translation of the Quran in a deep, raspy voice.
As she reads, she says ‘‘God,’’ not ‘‘Allah.’’ ‘‘Disbeliever,’’ the translation of the Arabic ‘‘kufr,’’ has been replaced with ‘‘ones who are ungrateful.’’ There’s mention of Jesus and Mary, not the common Islamic renderings Isa and Maryam.
Bakhtiar’s English translation of the Quran, expected to hit bookstores next week, is considered the first solo effort of its kind by a Muslim woman - a grandma from Chicago, at that.
This alone would draw attention. But her non-traditional approach, from one who is not part of the Islamic scholarly establishment and does not speak modern Arabic, has sparked controversy from Chicago to the Middle East.
A story about Bakhtiar on Dubai-based Alarabiya.net, a Web site associated with widely broadcast Al Arabiya TV network, was the most read story for two days straight in the Arab world, said Al Arabiya journalist Hayyan Nayouf. Continue to the full story from SOURCE.
As she reads, she says ‘‘God,’’ not ‘‘Allah.’’ ‘‘Disbeliever,’’ the translation of the Arabic ‘‘kufr,’’ has been replaced with ‘‘ones who are ungrateful.’’ There’s mention of Jesus and Mary, not the common Islamic renderings Isa and Maryam.
Bakhtiar’s English translation of the Quran, expected to hit bookstores next week, is considered the first solo effort of its kind by a Muslim woman - a grandma from Chicago, at that.
This alone would draw attention. But her non-traditional approach, from one who is not part of the Islamic scholarly establishment and does not speak modern Arabic, has sparked controversy from Chicago to the Middle East.
A story about Bakhtiar on Dubai-based Alarabiya.net, a Web site associated with widely broadcast Al Arabiya TV network, was the most read story for two days straight in the Arab world, said Al Arabiya journalist Hayyan Nayouf. Continue to the full story from SOURCE.
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