Our Mission, Our Vision and Our Purpose
The Global Deaf Muslim Federation is a global organisation working to ensure equal rights for deaf muslims around the world.
The Holy Qur’an, the important book of Islam, has always been passed down orally. But this method makes it hard for people who are deaf to access it. Although the Qur’an has been written down and translated into many languages, making it easier to understand, translating it into sign language, especially for Deaf individuals, hasn’t been done widely yet.
The Deaf community in the United States, Canada, and many other nations worldwide communicates primarily through American Sign Language (ASL), a complete language with its own unique grammar system, distinct from English. For many Deaf individuals, ASL serves as their main mode of communication, and they might face challenges when using English as their second language. To ensure a profound understanding of the Qur’an’s message within the Deaf community, it is essential to translate it into American Sign Language. ASL, being a visual language, necessitates translation into video format, unlike previous translations that were presented in written forms.
For this project to come to fruition, it requires collaboration between proficient scholars fluent in both Arabic and English, well-versed in the exegesis of the Qur’anic scripture, and a team of American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters along with Deaf Muslim signers. This collaboration is essential to ensure the accurate translation of the meaning of the Qur’an into American Sign Language. This process is intricate, time-intensive, and demands meticulous attention to detail. Scholars and members of the ASL team must take time away from their respective professions to dedicate substantial blocks of time to this endeavor. Additionally, the project necessitates the acquisition of necessary audio-visual equipment to produce high-quality videos.
Once the translation of the Qur’an into American Sign Language is complete, the resulting videos will be disseminated globally. The purpose of this dissemination is to share the universal message about the essence and purpose of human existence, emphasizing the importance of this effort in reaching a wider audience.