Laleh Bakhtiar

Laleh Bakhtiar
Born
Mary Nell Bakhtiar

(1938-07-29)July 29, 1938
Tehran, Imperial State of Iran
DiedOctober 18, 2020(2020-10-18) (aged 82)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
NationalityIranian-American
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Author, translator, psychologist
Known for
  • The Sublime Quran
  • Institute of Traditional Psychology
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1960; div. 1976)​
Children
Parents
  • Abol Ghassem Bakhtiar (father)
  • Helen Jeffreys Bakhtiar (mother)
Family

Laleh Mehree Bakhtiar (born Mary Nell Bakhtiar; July 29, 1938 – October 18, 2020) was an Iranian-American Islamic and Sufi scholar, author, translator, and psychologist.[1][2] She produced a gender-neutral translation of the Quran, The Sublime Quran, and challenged the status quo on the Arabic word daraba, traditionally translated as "beat" — a word that she said has been used as justification for abuse of Muslim women.[3] Her translation, published in 2007, was the first translation of the Quran by an American woman.[4][5][6][7]

  1. ^ John Colson, Symposium focuses on Muslim women Archived September 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Aspen Times, August 15, 2007
  2. ^ Hanady Kader, Online Matchmaking Sites Court U.S. Muslims, WeNews, May 29, 2008.
  3. ^ Zavadski, Katie (April 10, 2017). "How Three American Women Translated One of the World's Most Popular Qurans". The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  4. ^ Quran (2007). The Sublime Quran: Laleh Bakhtiar: 9781567447507: Amazon.com: Books. Islamicworld.com. ISBN 978-1567447507.
  5. ^ "A new look at a holy text – tribunedigital-chicagotribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. 2007-04-10. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
  6. ^ Useem, Andrea (2007-04-18). "Laleh Bakhtiar: An American Woman Translates the Qur'an". Publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
  7. ^ Aslan, Reza (20 November 2008). "How To Read the Quran". Slate. Retrieved 8 July 2011.