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08.07.2008 General News

Veep Commends Author

By Daily Graphic
Veep Commends Author
08.07.2008 LISTEN

The Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, has commended Sheikh Muhammed Gbetobu, the author of the Dagbani version of the Holy Qur'an, for the courage and perseverance with which he completed the work.

The 1,287-page translated Dagbani version is published by Zaintun Centre for Education and Charitable Services, a Muslim charitable organisation based in Tamale.

The initiative is to enable Dagombas and people of other ethnic groups who can read in Dagbani to be able to understand and appreciate the teachings of the Holy Book, which was originally written in Arabic.

The book, which took five years to complete, was officially launched by the Vice-President in Accra last Saturday.

The well-attended function was organised by the Zaintun Centre for Education and Charitable Service and in attendance were Imams, Islamic leaders, Muslims from all walks of life and members of the public.

According to the organisers of the programme, it was the first time that the Qur'an had been fully translated into any Ghanaian language.

Alhaji Mahama noted that the book would serve as a challenge to Dagbani readers to probe deeper into the meaning of the Qur'an and understand it better.

Sheikh Gbetobu, an Islamic scholar who is also the Director of Zaintun Centre for Education and Charitable Services, said the book sought to convey the Islamic message to people in their local dialect, adding that Dagbani was spoken by a considerable number of Ghanaian Muslims.

"A sizeable proportion of Ghanaian Muslims either speak Dagbani as their mother tongue or an additional language and it is also similar to many languages spoken in both Ghana and Burkina Faso," he stated.

According to him, the emphasis placed on the teaching of local dialects at the basic school level would enable people who were not well versed in English and Arabic to read and easily understand the Qur'an in Dagbani.

He stated that Islam in Ghana was threatened by numerous challenges, as most Muslims were not proficient in Arabic and expressed the hope that the Dagbani translation would permit them to read the Qur'an with ease.

Sheikh Gbetobu said plans were on course to translate other Islamic books into Dagbani.

The book has already been launched in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital, by the Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idriss.

Story by Sahadatu Atintande

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