KORAN with a K

"Why do you always spell Koran with a K? Don't you know it is spelt with a Q?"

There is no settled method of transliterating Arabic into English. Thus you will find many different ways of translitering the name of the Muslim Holy Book into English - Qur'an, Koran, Coran, Quran, etc.

Throughout these web pages readers will encounter a very deliberate preference for KORAN with a K. It is spelt - K.O.R.A.N. This is against current trends which are towards spellings with a Q.

The reasons for this preference are as follows:

KORAN (with a K) is, in fact, an English word. Koran with a K is the established English word for the holy book of the Muslims. Thus, when writing in English we use the English word.

Objections to this spelling are a symptom of fundamentalist inspired neo-Arabism. Rather than allow a perfectly good English word, fundamentalists insist on using pseudo-Arab spellings. The spelling "QURAN" is pseudo-Arab. The spelling "QUR'AN" is even more so. This only creates confusion and inhibits discourse.

The use of Koran with a K rather than the increasingly common pseudo-Arabic malformations is characteristic of and consistent with the approach to Islam outlined in this website (Abode of Peace - An Islam for the West). Modern and contemporary Islam has been distorted by neo-Arabist ideology largely emenating from Saudi Arabia and accompanied by Wahabist fundamentalism. To use Koran with a K is to assert the cultural diversity of the Muslim Ummah and the legitimacy of Islam in the West against the Wahabist monoculture.

So, throughout these web pages we insist on the English spelling in order to take a stand against neo-Arabist fundamentalism. Let us be proud to be English-speaking Muslisms and resist the implication that only native Arab speakers are "true" Muslims. The Koran was revealed in Arabic, but Allah speaks all languages. It is important that the message of the Koran be made available in all languages. So resist the pedantic purists. Why use a malformation of Arabic when there is an English word available?

The same problem arises with the name of Jewish mysticism - "KABBALAH". This can be spelt a dozen different ways, many of them pseudo-Hebrew. There is a certain mentality encountered in both Muslim and Jewish circles that will correct your spelling and/or pronunciation as a matter of course - it is a device of chauvanism the only purpose of which is to put other people down. If you mention "Kabbalah" they will say "Don't you mean Qabbalah?" If you mention the "Koran" they will say "Don't you mean "Quran"? This is very impolite.

A proper etiquette is:

*Consistently use the English spelling KORAN on all occasions.

*Do not correct others if they use an alternative spelling. It is rude to do so.

*If questioned about the use of KORAN with a K, patiently and politely explain your reasons for preferring it, namely that you are an English speaker and, where they are available, you will use English words.

Throughout these web-pages you will find KORAN with a K. It is not a mistake. It is not because the author is ignorant of Arabic. It is used deliberately. English-speaking Muslims who are opposed to narrow fundamentalist Islam are invited to do the same.

Note - Arabic remains the LITURGICAL language of Islam. The liturgical recitation of the Holy Koran must be done in Arabic. But there is no purpose in using Arabic or pseudo-Arabic in ordinary and non-liturgical discourse.

 

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 Unto Him is the real prayer! - Koran 13:14