For the first time, a woman translates the Quran

The first-ever English translation of the Quran by a Muslim woman will be released next week. Laleh Bakhtiar's comments on her work gave me a lot to think about as to how I, myself, read Scripture. Here, she integrates one verse with her own experience and her understanding of the life of Mohammed as an example.

But when she came to a controversial verse long interpreted as meaning husbands could beat their wives if they strayed, it became personal. Bakhtiar had counseled Muslim women beaten by husbands who said this verse gave them that right. She thoroughly researched the word "dara ba," speaking to 45 Islamic scholars. The Lane lexicon provided the alternate meaning of "go away."

Another verse in the Quran that said Muslim women seeking a divorce cannot be harmed also appeared to contradict the traditional interpretation.

"To me, the God I love would not say husbands can beat wives or even have a threat that husbands can beat their wives," she said. "From the life of the prophet, I knew he didn't do that, so where is this misunderstanding coming from?"

Bakhtiar and others say the controversy this translation has engendered has less to do with Bakhtiar's academic background and more to do with the fact that she dares to translate the Quran as a woman. Merely one facet of the issues of power attached to who studies and interprets holy writings! I'm reminded that not long ago in Catholic history translating the Bible into the vernacular was a capital crime.

 
As I tell my confirmation students, "Reading the Bible is dangerous!"