Tamale, April 13, GNA - Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister has appealed to Islamic scholars in the country to device means of translating the Holy Quran into local Ghanaian languages to enable Muslim brethren to read and appreciate Islam. He said it was unfortunate that Islam existed in the country for over a century but the Holy Quran had not been translated into any of the Ghanaian languages to enable non-Islamic scholars to convey messages to people in their own local dialect.

Alhaji Idris made the appeal in Tamale at the weekend when he launched the Dagbani version of the Quran, the first ever-translated version. Dagbani is spoken by a considerable number of people particularly Muslims in the country. Sheikh Muhammed Baba, an Islamic Scholar, authored the 1,287-page translated Quran, published by Zaintun Centre for Education and Charitable Services, a Muslim charitable organisation based in Tamale. Alhaji Idris commended the Committee that carried out the translation and the publication and urged all Islamic scholars and Chief Imams to regularly review the translations and come out with new editions.

Sheikh Baba said the committee went through difficulties before printing the 200 copies of the translated version and appealed to other Muslim brethren to support the production of more copies. He said due to the difficulties, it took him five years to complete the project and stressed the importance of the translated version, adding that it would help students offering Religious Studies to better understand the Quran. He said there were plans to further provide Muslims and people learning Islamic teachings in its original forms with various translated Islamic books especially, the Hadith, into Dagbani. He gave the assurance that more research would be carried out to ensure that the second edition of the Quran is completed and distributed to as many people as possible. The first five copies of the translated Quran was auctioned at GH¢1,500 with Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris buying the first copy at GH¢1,000.