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| BOOK FOUNDATION QUR'AN DISTRIBUTION PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT AND SURVEY RESULTS The Book Foundation has pleasure in reporting on the continuing success of its collaboration with The Council on American Relations (CAIR) in support of their remarkable Explore the Qur'an project which has undertaken to give a free copy of the Holy Qur'an to any American citizen of other faiths who requests one. The purpose of the project is not to proselytise but to meet the huge interest among the non-Muslim American population in what the Qur'an really says and what Islam really stands for. An opinion survey carried out by CAIR in 2005 revealed that 40 million Americans have expressed a wish to receive a copy of the Qur'an. This demand eloquently suggests that Americans want to learn for themselves rather than rely on common prejudices or misleading media reports. In Hilliard, Ohio, police detective Charles Scalf ordered a Qur'an to learn about the beliefs of his city's growing Muslim population. "You hear so many different things about what the Qur'an says – I thought, why don't I read it myself?" "The best way to pursue peace is to get to know your neighbor a whole lot better than we do now ," says the Rev. Thomas Martin, a retired Presbyterian Minister in Powell, Ohio, who requested a Qur'an. "If I'm going to know my neighbors, I need to know something about their faith." ~ ABC World News Tonight June 6 2005 (viewed by 9 million people). 32,000 copies now provided to CAIR for distribution Up to now, generous donations have enabled the Book Foundation to provide CAIR with 32,000 copies of its beautiful new edition of The Message of the Qur'an by Muhammad Asad. New requests are continually coming in, and new donations promised by benefactors will enable the Foundation to provide a further 18,000 copies. Impressive survey results A survey carried out by CAIR has revealed that
Scope of the project Hussam Ayloush, Executive Director of CAIR, Southern California , reports that this is the most exciting and successful project he has ever been involved in. He explains that "new donated copies will also allow us to hand deliver a copy to the hundreds of key newspaper editors and reporters, political and law enforcement leaders, as well as interfaith leaders whom our chapters work with in over 30 majors cities across the US and Canada. These are people who already have a working relationship with Muslims, but have not had the opportunity to receive a copy of the Qur'an and might be too busy to order one online from CAIR." Winning hearts and minds The response from those receiving this magnificent edition has been overwhelmingly positive. One recipient, a devout Catholic training to be a priest, was so inspired by the gift that he decided to fast the whole month of Ramadan in his seminary and read the whole Qur'an during this time. This is an extract from his letter of thanks: ~ "I had no idea that when I signed up to receive the Holy Qur'an that I would receive this absolutely beautiful book! I would like to observe Ramadan this year as a spiritual practice of my own in solidarity with the Islamic community and the community around me and around the world." Another non-Muslim wrote: ~ "Thank you very much for the beautiful copy of the Holy Qur'an. I am amazed at how poetic and eloquent a scripture it is, and the illustrations and illuminations are incredible. I have learned some more about the life of Muhammad, and I am amazed at how much of the lyrical beauty is retained in the translation. The annotations are also very helpful." And Hussam Ayloush reports this inspiring encounter after one of his outreach talks at a college in California: ~ "After my talk, I was approached by a professor who told me that he ordered a copy of the Qur'an four months ago after he heard about the offer. He added that this has been the most beautiful and most powerful book he has ever read or seen. He added how he keeps it on his main table at home so all his friends and relatives come and see. He said he loves it when people come and ask him about it." Such wonderful responses from recipients show how a well-organised collaborative effort of this kind can be so effective in distributing large numbers of copies. At a time of such misunderstanding about the true message of Islam, the educational importance of making such a fine edition available to so many non-Muslims can hardly be exaggerated. Their heart-warming response speaks for itself. The success of this project owes much to the organisational flair and outreach of CAIR coupled with the inspiring quality of the new edition published by the Book Foundation. But it is of course the generosity of benefactors who have made all this possible. As Brother Hussam says, "May Allah reward and bless all those who are making this dream happen." Current needs CAIR has announced its intention to distribute a further 50,000 copies through the Explore the Qur'an project over and above the 32,000 copies which the Book Foundation has already provided. Benefactors have already offered funding which will enable the Foundation to provide 18,000 of the additional copies needed. Funds are still needed to cover the costs incurred by CAIR in packing, handling, administration and postage for new requests (these costs amount to $15 per copy) as well as an ongoing need for benefactors to purchase additional copies so that we can meet the target of 50,000. The Book Foundation is offering the edition at the much reduced price of 25 US dollars to benefactors for bulk purchases, with shipping to CAIR included. Any further help benefactors can offer will enable us to sustain this unique and exemplary project which is playing a major part in transforming perceptions of Islam and Muslims in the USA. Spanish Translation now available The generosity of benefactors has also enabled us to provide 2,500 copies of our new Spanish edition of The Message of the Qur'an to CAIR in Southern California for distribution amongst the Spanish-speaking Muslim community. The Spanish edition is identical in quality to the highly praised English edition. Distinctive features of new edition As the distinguished British Muslim, Hasan Gai Eaton, explains in a new Prologue to the work, there exists no more useful guide to the Qur'an in the English language than Muhammad Asad's translation and commentary, and no other translator has come so close to conveying the meaning of the Qur'an to those who may not be able to read the Arabic text or the classical commentaries. This new edition makes the work even more accessible by introducing a complete transliteration of the Arabic text, as well as a newly compiled general index of names and key concepts. The text has been further enhanced throughout by the addition of original artwork by the internationally renowned Muslim artist and scholar, Dr. Ahmed Moustafa. Hasan Gai Eaton has also contributed a new Prologue to the work. Further information For further information on how to contribute, please contact: Dr. Jeremy Henzell-Thomas The Book Foundation email: jeremyhenzell@aol.com The Book Foundation The Book Foundation is a Registered UK Charitable Foundation No. 1093996. |
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