Young French Muslims Want Tarawih in French

By Hadi Yahmid, IOL Correspondent

PARIS, October 18, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The second and third Muslim generations in France are calling for performing Tarawih prayers in French to break the language barrier and understand the meaning of the noble Qur’an.

“I perform Tarawih prayers (after Night prayers) during the holy month of Ramadan and try to follow the imam by reading from a French translation of the meanings of the Qur’an, but it doesn’t work,” Ziad Al-Khalifi, 19, told IslamOnline.net.

“I hope that Tarawih would be performed in French to the benefit of my generation,” added Khalifi, whose father is Algerian.

The mosque of Monterey district, in east Paris, has become the favorite destination of many young French Muslims, who use French in their communication.

Before Tarawih prayers, an imam explains in French to the young Muslims the meaning of the verses to be recited later in Arabic, the language of the Noble Qur’an.

“The second and third generations really face a serious problem,” said Sheikh Zuhir Burik, imam of the Tariq Ibn Ziad mosque in the Evilline district, in west Paris.

“We are trying to overcome this problem by explaining to those practicing young Muslims the meanings of the recited verses in French to bridge the gap.”

Mohammed Colin, the executive director of the Islamic saphirnet.info, said French Muslims should find a solution to the language barrier facing the young generations, who constitute a large number of the Muslim minority estimated at six million people.

“It is not a secret that I myself want to understand the Qur’an in my mother tongue,” he said.

“I know that this is a bit thorny issue, but these generations should not be ignored.”

Un-Substitutable

But Sheikh Ahmad Gaballah, member of the Dublin-based European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) said that the Qur’an cannot be substituted by translations no matter how accurate they are.

“Arabic is the language of the Qur’an and reciting it in Arabic should be strictly observed,” he said.

He, however, approves explaining the meanings of the Qur’an in French to young Muslims who do not speak or understand Arabic.

“The same situation happens in India, Pakistan and Iran. But Muslims there love to listen to Qur'an in Arabic despite not being able to understand it,” he added.

Gaballah said the problem could yield a positive side as it would encourage many willing Muslims to learn Arabic.

Al-Buraq publishing house has printed dozens of copies of French translations of the meanings of the Qur’an – some accompanied by Arabic verses -- and distributed them among famous malls and markets under the slogan “Al-Buraq Marking Ramadan.”