Laleh Bakhtiar
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Laleh Mehree Bakhtiar (b. July 29, 1938, in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian-American Muslim author and translator. She has translated and written a combination of 25 books about Islam, including an English translation of the Qur'an.[1] Her work specifically seeks to bridge understanding between non-Muslims and Muslims.She was born in New York City[1]. As of 2007, she lives in Chicago. She became a Muslim after marrying her Muslim husband.[1]
She translates 'kufr as "those who are ungrateful" instead of the common translations "unbelievers" or "infidels." She also translates the Arabic word “daraba” in Chapter 4, Verse 34, concerning treatment of a husband towards his wife, as "go away" instead of the common "beat" or "scourge." [2] The typical English words "God" and "Mary" are used instead of the Arabic "Allah" and "Miriam. "Bakhtiar believes these translations will not push away non-Muslims from Islam.[1]
She has stopped wearing hijab because she thinks that in America it does not promote its goal of modesty but attracts too much attention.[1]
Her ability to translate Arabic accurately is criticized because she neither knows modern Arabic nor speaks Arabic as a first language. Khaled Abou El Fadl, Islamic law professor from UCLA, says she is qualified as an editor, not an Islamic scholar and that three years of Classical Arabic is not enough. He also criticized the extent she relies on Arabic to English dictionaries.[1]
Bakhtiar disagrees with his criticism saying, "The criticism is [there] because I'm a woman." She also says that some other well-known translators were not considered Islamic scholars.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Chicago Tribune April 10, 2007; page 1 - Note: This reference needs registration.
- ^ Neil MacFarquhar, New Translation Prompts Debate on Islamic Verse, New York Times, March 25, 2007.