Misinterpreting the Quran: An Equal Opportunity Tactic

By Michael Kravshik

People often claim how ‘Islamophobes’ commonly misinterpret the Quran to tarnish its character. But what happens when the translations actually do the opposite, and purposely manipulate the phrasing (or include non-existent phrases) to become more palatable to Western ears? This exact situation has come to my attention on my own campus at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Most English-speakers are plagued by their inability to refer to the original Arabic, and rarely do they have an Arabic-speaker to discern fact from misrepresentation. I’ve been fortunate enough to have such a resource at my disposal in the form of a friend who has spent her entire life in Egypt, until recently, when she moved to Canada for a master’s degree. Being one of those liberal-minded Egyptians who worked to topple Mubarak, it’s safe to say she is disappointed with the results of the revolution.

Upon her arrival to Canada, what shocked her most was how openly we have embraced some of the things she despises most about her home country. One example was the recent “Mercy to Mankind: Story of a Great History” conference (view their Facebook page here) held at Carleton University during Islam Awareness Week. The conference caught her eye when she noticed a seating arrangement that she wasn’t expecting to see in Canada (see the picture below).

The conferences’ promotional video exclaims, “starvation, usury, and gambling all began to increase at a rapid pace… and the world descended back into darkness… The Romans and Persians held sway over most of the world and founded themselves upon war and blood…until the year 570 AD, when something happened, the birth of a baby boy…” A subtly placed cross on the hilt of the bloody Roman sword was notable. Of course, this baby boy was Mohammad, and he brought an end to all this ‘war and blood,’ or so the movie implies (an utterly ridiculous notion). My friend picked up one of the Qurans that were being handed out in an attempt (in her words) to “convert any students that walked by.”

Over the years I’ve picked up a number of free Qurans that have been offered as a means of converting me because I enjoy comparing the various translations. Most of the time there are no surprises, and those pesky violent and misogynistic verses that the ‘Islamophobes’ love to quote have been translated fairly consistently; that is to say, they are just as horrible as when you hear them out of the mouth of the ‘Islamophobe’ himself. This version, translated by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, was quite different and deserves some attention. Don’t get me wrong; there was no shortage of the violent and misogynistic stuff most are familiar with such as (italicized words added by me for context):

• 4:11 – “Concerning your children, God enjoins you that a male shall receive a share equivalent to that of two females.”
• 4:82 – “Do not take them {the unbelievers/non-Muslims} as your allies until they emigrate in the way of God. If they turn back (to enmity), seize them and kill them.”
• 8:12 – “When your Lord commanded the angels, saying, I am with you, so make those who believe stand firm. I will instill fear in the hearts of those who deny the truth {non-Muslims}: so strike their necks and strike all their finger joints!”
• 9:14 – “Fight them {non-Muslims}: God will punish them at your hands, and will disgrace them.”
• 9:29 – “Fight those from among the People of the Book {referring to Jews and Christians, which was written specifically in 9:30} until they pay the tax willingly and agree to submit.” Then following up in 9:30 with fairly plain speech, “May God destroy them!”

This only scratches the surface of the particularly crude verses noted, although I do want to put extra emphasis on 47:35, “So do not lose heart or appeal for peace when you have gained the upper hand. God is with you and will never let your works go to waste,” a particularly useful verse for the likes of Hamas or the Taliban.

Using the original Arabic, my Egyptian friend did corroborate the translations of each of these verses. However, doing so isn’t particularly necessary considering this is actually the version that attempts to soften the crude realities of Quranic prose. This attempted softening is the real interesting aspect of Mr. Khan’s translation, and the reason I felt compelled to share it. Here are some examples:

• 3:151 – “We will strike awe into the hearts of those who deny the truth {non-Muslims}…”

Most translations of the Quran I have read use the word ‘fear’ or ‘terror’ instead of awe. My Egyptian friend noted that such words are in fact an accurate translation of the Arabic word used (رعب), using the word ‘horror’ herself to describe its meaning in English. She then refuted the idea of ‘awe’ being an acceptable translation.

• 9:5 – “When the forbidden months have passed, kill the polytheists [who are at war with you] wherever you find them. Take them captive, and besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush.”

Most translations do not include what is in the square brackets, and my Egyptian friend noted that that part is not present in the original Arabic text.

• 61:4 – “surely, God loves those who fight for his cause in ranks, as if they were a solid cemented structure.”

My Egyptian friend noted that the Arabic word translated to ‘fight’ is actually the word meaning ‘to kill’ (قتل), and assured me that it does not mean fight, but specifically kill.

Mr. Khan’s motivations for misinterpretation are up for debate, but he otherwise seems to have a firm grasp of both English and Arabic, making ignorance an unlikely option. Unfortunately for him, many of the verses were apparently so obviously violent and misogynistic that his skillful wordplay wasn’t enough to cover up their meaning. These verses are generally of great concern, but such concern has been voiced countless times before. What is alarming to me, and my friend, was the deceitful interpretation for the purposes of softening the face of Islam or perhaps converting a few ‘truth deniers’ at my own university. This is made especially apparent in the introduction where Khan claims, “the Quran is, from beginning to end, a book which promulgates peace and in no way countenances violence.” Then proceeds with, “Jihad, taken in its correct sense, is the name of peaceful struggle rather than any kind of violent action.” While Jihad can mean peaceful struggle, it certainly can also mean violent struggle, and even his softer version of the Quran can’t hide the violent aspects of it. Any true believer must confront the true translation of these verses head-on and make the conscious decision to disregard them. Otherwise, they are being tricked into holding sacred, something that they (hopefully) do not believe in. Interpretations usually serve the interpreter’s purpose, not necessarily the truth. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that such a tactic is used both by those wishing to tarnish Islam, as well as those wishing to whitewash it.

Michael Kravshik is a Chartered Accountant, and former risk management consultant, who is obtaining his masters in conflict analysis and international security focusing on the Middle East. Visit his blog at www.kraxinlogic.com