Algeria Makes First Berber Koran Translation
February 19, 2007Algeria Makes First Berber Koran Translation
By REUTERS
Filed at 1:54 p.m. ET
ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria has translated the Koran into the Berber language, Tamazight, for the first time, to promote Islam among a community that has long campaigned for more language and cultural rights, an official said on Monday.
Religious Affairs Ministry spokesman Abdellah Tamine said the ministry had funded the printing this year of 6,000 copies of a full translation carried out by its experts.
Saudi Arabia financed the printing of 5,000 copies of a partial translation last year, he said. All 11,000 copies were distributed free and the ministry planned to print more.
Berbers were the original inhabitants of North Africa before the 7th century Arab invasion and make up a fifth of oil-producing Algeria's 33 million people.
The Berber region of Kabylie was hit by unrest in 2001 fueled by the death of a schoolboy in police custody.
Tamine said the translation was done at the request of officials from local mosques in Kabylie districts such as Tizi Ouzou where congregations did not understand Arabic.
``The translation is fruitful,'' he said. ``Mosques in Tizi Ouzou were empty before the distribution of the copies. It is now very difficult to find a place there, particularly on Friday.''
In 2002, the Algerian government recognised Tamazight as a national language, meaning it could be taught officially in schools in Berber-speaking regions for the first time.
But Berbers want Tamazight to be an official language, on equal status with Arabic. At present, it is not used on official documents.
Tamine said the translation would bring citizens closer to Islam. He denied that promoting the Koran was a political move, adding that the ministry had previously supervised translations into seven other languages, including English and Malay.
``We cannot translate Koran into foreign languages only and ignore Tamazight,'' Tamine said. ``Our efforts have nothing to do with politics, but the translation and printing are monitored by the ministry.''
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