--- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, "Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@...>
wrote:

> It happens to be a cornerstone of Muslim faith that the Qur'an is
> untranslatable and inimitable. You cannot use an interpretation in

any

> other language in a religious context.

Visit this site for details.

http://www.mondeberbere.com

"Houcine Jouhadi, who retired from teaching secondary education this
year, was born in Casablanca in 1942. He taught History at a
Casablanca High school for forty years. From his roots in the Ayt
Baaman of the Moroccan southwest, he studied the whole of the Koran
in its many version (qir'a'at, "readings" ) in the halls of the
rural universities of the Moroccan south. He then went on to join
the National Education public system, where he received a Master's
Degree in History. A tireless seeker, particularly of the history of
the Souss, he published several articles for the Encyclopedia of
Morocco (Ma'lamat al maghrib). In 1997 he also published a booklet
of poems: Timatarin (Symbols) (Dar Qurtuba, Casablanca)

Houcine Jouhadi belongs to the old religious tradition written in
Amazigh, started in the Kingdom of the Berghwata and carried on in
the many schools led by Marabouts (Muslim Hermits) in the Moroccan
South since the 16th century. He hosted a radio show on National
Radio on various theology themes, and published a biography (in
Amazigh), Tagharast n Ureqqas n Rebbi, of the Prophet of Islam,
Mohammed (Rabat, Publications de l'Amrec, 1995), before setting his
sight on a translation of the Koran.

Houcine Jouhadi translation the 114 Sura of the Koran, done in his
spare time, took ten years. Prudently titled: "Translation of the
meanings of the Koran", this volume – published at his own expenses -
has been available since June 2003. His remarquable mastery of the
Amazigh language and of the local Islamic tradition allow him to
bring together this delicate undertaking.

Beyond his literary output, Houcine Jahadi is an Amazigh activist.
He was an active participant of the birth and development of the
Amazigh cultural and linguistic revendication movement."

October 2003
Afulay / A. Lakhsassi
Translated from French by Liza BenBelkacem

Suzanne McCarthy