Turkish court lifts ban on theologian’s Quran translation

Duvar English

A Turkish court has lifted the ruling to ban the sale of the book "Yaşayan Kur’an Türkçe Meal-Tefsir" by liberal Islamic theologian İhsan Eliaçık upon his objection to the previous ruling.

Eliaçık announced the move on his Twitter account on March 13.

Eliaçık’s book’s sale was banned by another court last month.

The reason given for the ban decision was that the book "contains elements that are objectionable in terms of the fundamental qualities of Islam."

The decision came following an application filed by the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) which argued that the book violated its 2019-dated regulation on the "Quran translations."

According to the Diyanet regulation in question, the institution determines itself as the sole authority to control translations and explanations prepared by other theologians. If Diyanet finds the work "undesirable," it applies to the court to have it removed from circulation.

“Meal” means the translation of the Quran, the holy book of Islam, into languages other than Arabic. A “tefsir,” on the other hand, means the explanation and interpretation of the Quran in order to provide context or commentary for the reader’s clear understanding.

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