Swedish translation of holy Qur’an unveiled in Stockholm

Sakina publication (Sakina forlag) in cooperation with Malaysia’s Restu Foundation published the new translation of holy Qur’an as part of efforts to help the Swedish speakers better understand the holy book of Islam, reported Taqrib News Agency (TNA).

Qais Ataullah, an official of Sakineh Publishing, said at the ceremony that the idea for the project began briefly in 2007 through a social media page with the aim of purchasing translated copies of the Quran and distributing them to a limited circle of acquaintances and friends.

He added, “The publication tried for years to obtain the copyright of the translation from the Swedish publisher that owned it, but the cost was too high.”

According to officials, 20,000 copies will be allocated to Sweden to be distributed to mosques, institutions and Swedish citizens throughout the country.

Project executives 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 done 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's meanings into Swedish, and the new edition is presented as part of efforts to modernize the printing and expand its distribution among Swedish speakers within the country.