World Bulletin

The head of religious affairs in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, Kamil Haji Ali, has revealed that Saudi Arabia is preparing to publish Kurdish translations of the Holy Qur’an.

On returning from the Hajj pilgrimage, he said ‘We are very pleased to know that Kurdish translations of the Qur’an will be published. Everyone, especially our pilgrims, are overjoyed to hear this news. We thank the Saudi Arabian government for this.’

He also mentioned that Kurdish students studying at universities in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina have translated the Qur’an, which was then printed by the Ministry of Foundations and gifted to Kurdish pilgrims.

Admitting to the fact that there are some translation errors in the prints, he said that these mistakes would be corrected in Iraqi Kurdistan. ‘A mistake-free edition should be available within the year,’ he said.

So far 1000 copies have been printed; adding Kurdish to the 50 languages Saudi Arabia has translated the Qur’an into over the years. This will allow ethnic Kurds in Iraq the ability to study the meaning of the Qur’anic verses in their mother tongue.

This year 4,000 people from the autonomous Kurdish region and the city of Kerkuk attended the Hajj pilgrimage.