Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!cmaguire
From: cmaguire@phoenix.princeton.edu (Camm Maguire)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Proposal for a Machine readable Qur'an
Message-ID: <1885@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 7 Dec 89 03:53:58 GMT
Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu
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Approved: naim@eecs.nwu.edu (Naim Abdullah)


	Greetings!  While all the information on the availability of
a machine-readable Qur'an is not yet in, it seems as though most
copies will only be available commercially.  Or perhaps if we find a
copy in the public domain, it will probably be in Arabic and hence
illegible to most in the West.  Which leads me to the following
proposal.

	Would anyone be interested in typing a mutually acceptable
English version of the Qur'an?  The document is not that long, some
people memorize it.  I believe the Qur'an has some 6300 verses.  If
we get 63 people, say, that's one hundred verses a piece, a task
which can probably be completed over a weekend.  I have already
received notes from people interested in maintaining such a document
in the publically accessible directories of their machines.  Once
there, of course, the Qur'an would be available to any interested
English speaking person with access to the networks.

	In my opinion, such a project would greatly advance the
understanding of this great faith so frequently misunderstood in the
West.  

	Perhaps we should discuss this idea in this forum for a few
weeks, during which time I will continue to search for a previously
typed copy.  Some points that leap to my mind for discussion are:

	1) Is there interest in this project?  Who would be willing
to contribute typing time?  How much time could they afford to
spend? 

	2) What English translation of the Qur'an should we choose?
Many of you may know of the world scripture translation project
headed by Prince Charles.  I hear that in the near future, a new
English translation fully approved of by all leading Muslim scholars
will be produced.  We may want to wait for this translation to be
completed, or we may not.

	3) We need to decide on a procedure for quality control,
such as assigning a typer and a different proof-reader for each
section.

	I hope your as excited about this as I am!  

Peace!

Camm

	[Please send all replies to soc.religion.islam --Naim]