Swedish Translation of Quran Unveiled in Stockholm
The ceremony was held on Saturday, May 16, by Sakina Publishing House (Sakina förlag) as part of an international project in collaboration with the Restu Foundation, alkompis reported.
Members of the Arab and Islamic countries’ diplomatic missions in Sweden, along with representatives of Islamic associations and organizations, attended the event.
An exhibition of Islamic manuscripts and art was also held on the sidelines of the ceremony.
Qais Ataullah, an official at Sakina Publishing House, said at the ceremony that the idea for this project began briefly in 2007 through a page on social media with the aim of purchasing translated copies of the Quran and distributing them to a limited circle of acquaintances and friends.
He added that the publication tried for years to obtain the copyright of the translation from the Swedish publisher that owned the rights, but the cost was too high.
Ataullah explained that the project finally succeeded in purchasing the copyright thanks to financial donations, and one of the first investors was a famous football player who donated more than 100,000 Swedish kronor (the Swedish currency) and asked to remain anonymous.
The Swedish translation of the Quran was printed at the Nasyrul Quran Complex in Putrajaya, Malaysia, the second largest specialized center for printing the Quran in the world.
The Nasyrul Quran Complex is part of Malaysia’s global plan to print and distribute one million copies of Islam’s Holy Book in more than 50 languages.
According to project officials, 20,000 copies will be allocated to Sweden to be distributed to mosques, institutions and citizens across the country.
Sakina Publishing House is responsible for local publication, quality assurance and distribution in Sweden.
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The project’s executive officials say the main goal of the initiative is to promote the universal message of Islam, encourage regular recitation of the Quran, and provide a translated version of the Quran to help Swedish speakers better understand its meanings.
This particular translation of the Quran into Swedish was made by Mohammed Knut Bernström, who served as Sweden’s ambassador to Morocco from 1976 to 1983 and who did the translation after converting to Islam and taking the name Mohammed.
Bernström is known as the author of one of the most famous translations of the Quran into Swedish, first published in the late 1990s under the title “Koranens Budskap” (The Message of the Quran).
Bernström’s translation is one of the most prominent and authoritative translations of the Quran into Swedish, and the new edition is being offered as part of efforts to modernize printing and expand its distribution among Swedish speakers within the country.
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