LIRA, Uganda — Uganda’s Mufti, Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, has commissioned a seven member panel to begin translating the Quran into Langi, opening what Muslim leaders describe as a long term effort to make the Islamic holy book more accessible to Langi speakers.
Mubaje commissioned the panel during national Mawlid celebrations at Idi Amin Mosque in Lira City on Oct. 3. Hundreds of worshippers from across the Lango subregion attended the event, along with senior officials of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council.
Mubaje told the gathering that Muslims should understand the Quran’s message and put its teachings into practice. He also cautioned that translating the Quran is a sensitive and demanding task that requires time, careful interpretation and close attention to the original meaning.
Uganda Radio Network reported that the panel had accepted the assignment as a long term UMSC project. No completion date was announced.
The seven members are Sheikh Sadick Ayo, imam of Idi Amin Mosque; Sheikh Shaban Sadam Nasser, imam of Taqwa Mosque; Sheikh Hafiz Nurain Maganda, described at the launch as a Sharia master’s graduate and director of Haif Islamic Nursery and Primary School in Lira; Ocom Ismael, described as a Harvard graduate; Ogal Ismael, a Ministry of Education and Sports consultant who translates learning materials into Langi; Sheikh Ali Yakub Okwir, listed as district kadhi; and Sheikh Abdul Karim Omar, listed as deputy kadhi.
Those professional and academic descriptions were given during the launch and have not been independently verified.
The Quran translation initiative came as Mubaje also addressed a leadership dispute within the Muslim community in Lango.
According to New Vision, Mubaje declined to appoint a district khadi for Lango and instead said five sheikhs he had already appointed should continue overseeing the region. They are Yakubu Ali, Ibrahim Okello, Abdul Karim Omara, Kato Swaibu and Saidi Hussen Ongu.
Mubaje linked the leadership dispute partly to disagreements over Muslim property. He said he planned to return to Lira for a longer stay to examine land and related income.
A wider local language effort
The Langi initiative follows earlier efforts to make the Quran available in Ugandan languages.
Muslim leaders point to a Luganda translation that began in 1963, followed by editions in 1974, 1984 and 2007. The translations has attributed those editions to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, which later presented copies to the second deputy mufti of UMSC.
The council has also cited a Runyankore publication titled Amakuru Ga Kuran Eyekitiinisa Omurunyankore. However, public catalogue records reviewed for this report do not clearly establish whether the publication is a complete Quran translation. The description therefore remains attributed to the council.
For the Langi panel, the central task will be to produce a text that communicates the Quran’s meaning accurately while remaining understandable to Langi speakers. That is likely to require extensive drafting, review and religious scrutiny before any final version is approved.
The Mawlid celebrations were supported by Haj Masoud Obeid, also referred to as Masud Obedi Obedi, a Lango born businessman based in Kampala and chairman of the Uganda Forex Bureau and Money Remittance Association. New Vision identified him as the mobiliser of the celebration.
Mubaje was accompanied by Second Deputy Mufti Dr. Sheikh Hafiz Muhammad Harunah Bukenya, Deputy Secretary General for Finance and Administration Haj Muhammad Ali Aluma, and Secretary for Religious Affairs Sheikh Imran Abdnoor Ssali.
The newly appointed panel is now expected to begin the translation work, with accuracy and faithfulness to the Quran’s original meaning set as the main guiding principle.
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