In its May edition, Laha, a Saudi-owned womens magazine issued by Dar Al Hayat, reported: The suggestion of the Iranian translator Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar to change the translation of the word beat and remove the meanings of Islam, Muslims and infidels or interpret them, raised the anger of Al-Azhars female scholars, whereby they believed that such interpretations were rejected by the ShariaaÂ… What is the issue and how did they respond to it? At first, Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar presented the reasons which she changed some words when translating the Holy Koran.

She said: Even though my mother is Christian American, I am proud of my Iranian Muslim dad. Since I was born and until I was 24 years old, I lived in the US, studied in American Catholic schools and saw how non-Muslims perceived Islam and what they feared in it. After that, I went to Iran and lived there for over 20 years. I studied Islam and looked at 17 different translations of the meaning of the Koran. I detected some words that non-Muslims were sensitive about like infidelity or infidelsÂ…

[She continued:] So I decided to look for a new translation for these words or even exclude them to maintain positive relations between Muslims and non-Muslims and to render Islam more tolerant and closer to non-Muslims, in what would open channels of dialogue and understanding with the. As a psychology professor at Chicago University, I rejected the word infidel like all the other translations that conveyed it as non-believer or atheist which are negative expressionsÂ… I used the word Â… ingrate. As for the word Islam I replaced it with abiding by the will of Allah and succumbing to it and the word religion with way of life.

The translator of Iranian origins and who carries the American nationality did not settle for that. She said she took off the veil she wore in Iran for over 20 years and became convinced of the necessity to make Islam friendlier toward women. [She said:] Regarding the word Beat them which was stated in the KoranÂ…, I believe that beating is not part of Islam. The Prophet (PBUH) did not do such a thing. Physical beating undermines the dignity of women and harms Islam. The enemies are using this to attack Islam and disfigure it.

[She continued:] This is why I replaced the expression Beat them with the following sentence: Husbands who have reached a point of succumbing to Allah should leave matters to Allah. They should walk away from their women and let Allah implement his wish, instead of harming another human being in the name of Allah. Former Dean of the Islamic Studies Faculty, Dr. Suad Saleh the Mufti of women, commented on the case by saying: Changing the words of the Koran is completely rejected in form and in content. It is a type of interpretation of the words. Allah reprimanded those who do that [in the Koran]Â…

[She continued:] The first concern of Muslims is to please Allah and not the worshippers. We are therefore not interested in getting the consent of the West because the West will not be pleased until we completely relinquish our religion and follow it. Hence, this translator is a sinner and has committed an unforgivable crime by changing the meaning of the words of Allah in his Koran.

Dr. Amina Nseir, the former dean of the Alexandria [Islamic] studies [faculty], pointed out Bekhtyars mistake by saying: It would be wrong to understand beating as being the first means to handle the perversion of the wives. It is preceded by two stages. Hence only the one who deserves beating will be beaten after she is reprimanded and abandoned [in the marital bed]Â… This beating has certain specifications in Islam that make it close to being a psychological punishment than a physical punishment. The beating should not be hard and should leave any marks on the body.

[She continued:] Therefore, the husband who is beating his wife, wounding her, breaking her bones or harming her face is a sinner in the Shariaa and his actions go against the purpose of the beating in IslamÂ… As for Dr. Abla Al-Kahlawi, the dean of the Islamic studies [faculty] in Port Said,Â… she said that it was wrong to judge Islam on the basis of some wrong practices exercised by its followers. She said that replacing the expression Beat them with other words was completely rejected by the Shariaa because the beating that was intended in the verse was not flagellation but in the sense of a moral discipliningÂ…

[She added:] Moreover, it is the last means. There are women who should be beaten. The proof for that is that they become good women after they are beaten in a non-violent way. Isnt it better than divorcing them or letting them ruin their homes with their own hands after the demons incite them to disobey their husbands or not respect them?... Shariaa Professor at Cairo University, Malika Youssef Zarar, responded to what Laleh Bakhtiar claimed regarding the fact that the translations and interpretations of the expression Beat them were unfair to women.

She said: Any interpretation or translation should go through the restraints of the Shariaa. If they are adequate they are welcomed and if not they are sent back to those who made them. Among the beautiful interpretations of this verse, is that of Sayyed Rashid Reza who said: The legitimacy of the beating of womenÂ… is necessary in case the environment is corrupt or in the presence of corrupt morals. It is allowed in case the man believes that it is necessary to make the woman go back on the right path. In case the environment is reformed and women started to listen to their husbandsÂ…, the latter should relinquish the beating.

[She continued to quote Sayyed Rashid Reza:] There is a ruling for each situation in the Shariaa and in any case we are ordered to show compassion toward women... Moreover, the verse never talked about divorce to solve marital problems. It relied on sensibility and patience on the husbands end. It told him he should give advice first, preach, abandon [the marital bed], then beat. It also ordered him not to be unfair during it or after it. It never mentioned divorce to protect the continuity and stability of marital life as well as protect the family from collapsingÂ… -