Kurdish Community Hails Quran In Their Langugage

TEHRAN (IQNA) - A translation of the Quran into Kurdish by Turkey's top religious authority, the Presidency of Religious Affairs (DIB), is said to have been lauded in Turkey's southeast, home to a large Kurdish population.

The DIB released 10,000 copies of the translation, which was prepared over five years, last month. It is the first official Kurdish translation of the holy book in a country where the Kurdish language was once a taboo.

Kurdish Muslims in the region welcomed the new translation distributed to cities and towns in southeastern and eastern Turkey.

Faruk Arvas, mufti for the province of Siirt, said they delivered 220 copies and said there was high demand among locals. "Everyone needs to understand the holy book in his or her own language. The Quran was translated into many languages (by the DIB) and the Kurdish language was the only one left. This new translation helps people here to understand the book better," he said. Arvas said people in the region have been waiting for the translation for years. He said that the DIB will also translate several religious works into Kurdish soon.

Source: Daily Sabah