Professor Helmi Mohammed Ibrahim Nasr distributed Thursday, March 16, copies of the Portuguese translation of the Koran at Islamic centers in the Greater São Paulo, the largest metropolitan region in Brazil, in the southeast of the country.
He insisted on delivering 160 copies personally to four institutions. "This is just the beginning of distribution. There will be over 50 places throughout Brazil," stated the professor. The translation was by Nasr himself and it was released last year.
Nasr, who is a professor at the University of São Paulo (USP) and vice president for international relations at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, delivered 40 copies to Brazil Mosque, in the central region of the city, where the offices of the Muslim Beneficent Society is also located.
To the president of the organizations, Nazih Saad, most of the Arab Islamic community in São Paulo does not know how to read Arabic, and a translation is therefore important.
"This work is of great value. It is going to help the community to comprehend Islam better," said Saad.
According to the professor, 1,000 copies will be distributed in São Paulo. "It is still too little," he said, and has already ordered another 10,000 copies at the World Islam League, in Saudi Arabia, which is responsible for the authentication of the translation. In Brazilian capital Brasília, distribution has already totaled 3,000 units.
Another 40 copies were delivered to the Brazil Islam Center, which is also going to distribute the books to libraries and cultural centers.
"I believe that this translation is a very honorable work," stated the secretary general at the organization, Nasereddin Khazraji.
According to him, the translation of the Koran is written in a simple and easy manner.
"The translation has not lost the beauty and taste of the verses," he added.
Another 40 copies were delivered to the vice president of the Center for Promotion of Islam in Latin America, Ali Ahmad Saifi.
"This is a treasure that we are being given," stated Saifi, who is going to give the book to some people and distribute it to libraries and Islamic institutes in São Paulo.
"The work by professor Helmi must be remembered as one of the most important translations about Islam in recent decades," he added.
The professor also delivered copies of the holy book to the president of the Brazilian Superior Islamic Council, Mustafa Mourad.
Translation
Nasr started translating the Koran in 1984, and took four years to complete the work. There was then a long period of revision before the official release of the work, which took place in October last year, in Brasília.
The version is the only one recognized by the World Islam League and was printed at King Fahd Complex, in Medina, Saudi Arabia, an organization connected to the Saudi government. To date, the Complex has already printed the holy book in 40 languages.
Nasr was born in Egypt and came to São Paulo in 1962 to establish the Arabic department at USP, at the request of the late president Jânio Quadros, who had met with Egyptian president Gamal Abdul Nasser the previous year. The professor came to Brazil to spend just one year, but is here to date.
Last year, during the Summit of South American – Arab Countries the professor also released an Arabic-Portuguese dictionary.
Anba – www.anba.com.br
Show Comments (9)
Guest
All Praise be to God
In the Name of Allˢh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
All the praises and thanks be to Allˢh, the Lord of the worlds
The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection).
You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).
Guide us to the Straight Way.
The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace , not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians).
Qur’an Chapter 1
See http://www.islamtomorrow.com/
Guest
Right!
Come on G.W. Fire up the B52’s. We need you now!
Guest
Just one more thing….
Europe is a (nominally) Christian grouping. That is why Turkey doesn’t belong; forget what the Bush administration wants, or thinks it wants. I woukld like to see every Muslem in Britain rounded up, interned, and then deported as a menace. One poster on this site suggested turning the whole of the Arab lands into a glass car-park, perhaps he’s right. This would be the final solution to these idiots.
Guest
I agree…..(from Brit living in SP)
Don’t let the Muslems get a foot-hold here in Brazil. Ther’re nothing but trouble. I warn you now, that you’ll end up with bombs on your buses and underground trains. I’ve seen, at first hand, what these arseholes can do. On the other hand, in contradistinction to my country (Britain), I bet the first bomb to go off on a bus in Sao Paulo will be met with a few million Brazilians ripping the insides out of every Muslem they can lay their hands on. So go on poster ‘Praise be to Him’ your only outnumbered by a 170 million or so. Idiot.
Guest
Fuck off out of Europe whilst you are at it or do you think we are going to let you stay here.
We are Christians here. Don’t you understand that.
Guest
Go live in Arabia assholes and take your ugly women with you.
Even Arabia doesn’t want you.
Go there and see how they treat muslims for youself. Like shit, that’s what they think of you scumbags there
Guest
Look what they are doing to France and trying to do here in Australia.
If muslims don’t like the west then they should go and live in a muslim country. Arabia, Iran Indonisia. There are enough of them as it is. Go live there.
Guest
Praise be to Him!
Allah be praised. The Professor Nasr is right, this is just the beginning. Now do you understand you critical idiots!. Islam is here.
Guest
Andypants
For god’s sake don’t let Islam take a foothold in Brazil. It is a bigoted, evil religion and if this zealot has his way he’d have all Brazilian women dressing head-to-toe in burkhas.
I am an English Catholic and will soon be moving to Brazil because Islam is slowly eating away at the country I love, like a cancer.
One of the reasons i’m moving to Brazil is the devotion to Catholicism, which is a peace loving religion and the Brazilians by and large are a peace loving people.