The Qatari Forum for Authors, at the headquarters of the Qatari Media Center, held a symposium entitled (Translating the Holy Qur’an: Challenges of Interpretation and Language Sensitivity), with the participation of Dr. Ziad Al-Mawajah/ Assistant Professor at the Community College, Department of Languages and Literature, and Professor Majd Makki/ a Sharia expert at the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, and Dr. Mahmoud Al-Harthani/ a lecturer at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Department of Translation and Cultural Studies, and it was moderated by Ms. Samar Al-Shishakli/ a translation expert at the Ministry of Culture.
Researcher/ Majd Makki shed light on the translation of the Qur’an: its meaning, its sections, its problems, the opinions of scholars regarding it, its importance, and religious translation, especially Islamic translation, which still constitutes a major challenge. He said: “Interest in translating the Qur’an is an urgent necessity.”
Dr. Mahmoud Al-Harthani said: “Translations of the Qur’an are not interpretations, and he highlighted the difficulties of finding the appropriate semantic, structural, and cultural equivalent for the words and structures of the Qur’anic text, pointing out that the Holy Qur’an is a text that can be translated and that it is the most important text of all and deserves to be translated.
Dr. Ziad Al-Mawjah touched upon the beginnings of the Orientalists’ interest in translating the Holy Qur’an, pointing out the presence of translators who did not adhere to ethical and scientific controls and did not convey the spirit of the Qur’an, which made translations established on faulty basis.