I was surprised to learn that there is a translation of the Koran that is supposedly being distributed by the United States Pentagon. This Koran translation was put together by Dr. Abdul Hye and is available for purchase at the Final Revelation website. [1] Here is the statement from one of the banners at that website:

The U.S. Pentagon distributes our simplified translation of the Qur’an to our service members all over the world. See how this easy interpretation is educating them about Islam.

On this banner is the U.S. Department of Defense logo.[2]

Is the Pentagon really distributing this Koran to military personnel “all over the world,” and do Pentagon officials know what is in it?

On March 16, I went to the “Contact” section of the Final Revelation website and requested more information about the Pentagon distribution of this translation of the Koran. I have not received a reply.

However, in response to inquiries I made to military personnel about how religious materials are distributed within the U.S. military, I learned that there is no central distribution system or procedure. This distribution is rather handled at a local level by military chaplains, depending on the needs/requests of the personnel they serve.

We do know that in 2007 and 2008, Hye’s Koran was obtained for distribution to certain military personnel. On the Final Revelation website is a link to a “preview” of this Koran, titled “Easy Interpretation of Qur’an.”[3] On p. 13 of that preview are copies of two “Letters from Pentagon [sic].”

The first letter was not actually from the Pentagon. It was from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, and was signed by Chaplain John Connelly, Lt. U.S. Navy. This letter was dated December 10, 2007. Here are excerpts from that letter:

Dr. Hye, I cannot begin to express my gratitude enough for your gracious contribution to the Muslim recruits currently going through their initial training here at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. I only had the copies of the Qu’ran in my hands for about an hour before I already was able to place some in the hands of recruits who were looking for them. Since we currently have around 6,000 recruits at Parris Island, I also took the step of sharing this wonderful gift with my fellow chaplains so that they could in turn share them with the recruits under their care. These Qur’an are a perfect size…and I am sure will keep the spiritual well-being high for Muslim recruits currently going through training…Thank you for helping us keep our Muslim recruits spiritually fed. Salaam…

It appears that Hye donated these Korans to the Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot.

But the second letter did come from the Pentagon. It was dated February 14, 2008, and it was signed by CH (LTC) Alan Pomaville, Deputy Pentagon Chaplain, Pentagon Chaplain’s Office. It had a “Pentagon Chaplain’s Office” stamp at the bottom. Here are excerpts from that letter:

Dear Dr. Abdul Hye, The Pentagon Chaplain’s Office is grateful for your graciousness in helping to provide Qurans our [sic] personnel serving here in the Pentagon community…During times of war, hostile fire, and stressful vocations, people need to be able to draw strength from their respective Scriptures. The Qurans you are allowing us to purchase will help bring strength to our Muslim Soldiers and help foster understanding to others who are seeking to learn more about Islam. Your efforts are a blessing to those serving in the Pentagon and you have our sincere appreciation for your extraordinary care and support.

So Hye was “allowing” the Pentagon to purchase these Korans?

Here we have two letters expressing a large amount of gratitude for Hye’s translation of the Koran. But there are some things in this Koran that were apparently overlooked by Lt. Connelly and Lt. Col. Pomaville.

On p. 10 of the 2006 edition of this Koran, we find a map of the Middle East, showing locations of “Places, Nations, Landmarks.” This map is made to be used in conjunction with a list of prophets mentioned in the Koran and the “Places, Nations, Landmarks” associated with those prophets (p. 9). Muhammad is, of course, the final prophet.

This map of the Middle East shows 76 towns/locations related to the previously listed prophets, and the countries in which those towns/locations are now located. This map lists modern country names such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Tashkent, India, and Sri Lanka. But the map does not show the name Israel; instead it shows “Palestine.”

So the Koran that was distributed to military personnel at Parris Island and at the Pentagon contained a map of the Middle East denying the existence of the State of Israel.[4]

According to Lt. Connelly, this particular Koran “will keep the spiritual well-being high for Muslim recruits”; and Lt. Col. Pomaville wrote that it “will help bring strength to our Muslim Soldiers.” So when a Muslim member of our military sits down and reads through this particular translation of the Koran, what words and messages will he or she see in the Koran verses? Here are a few that stand out:

1. The Jews are the worst enemies of the Muslims:

Surely, you will find most hostile among people in enmity to those who have believed (Muslims), the Jews… (5:82)

2. Allah curses Jews and Christians:

The Jews say: “Ezra is the son of Allah,” and the Christians say: “Christ is the son of Allah”…Allah’s curse is on them, how they are deluded away from the truth! (9:30)

And Allah commands Muslims not to take Jews and Christians “as allies” (5:51).

3. Christians are, by definition, disbelievers:

Surely, those who disbelieved, say: “Indeed Allah is the Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary.” (5:72; see 5:73, where belief in the Trinity is considered disbelief)

4. Here is what Allah says about disbelievers in this particular Koran translation:

a. Disbelievers are “open enemies” to the Muslims (4:101).

b. Muslims are commanded to not take disbelievers “as friends” because they are “enemies” of Allah and of the Muslims (60:1).

c. Disbelievers are the worst of creatures (8:55 and 98:6). 98:6 includes Jews.

d. Muslims are commanded to “fight the disbelievers” and be harsh toward them (e.g., 2:193, 2:216, 4:76, 8:38-39, 9:5, 9:29, 9:36, and 9:123), and during the fighting with disbelievers Muslims are commanded to “strike at their necks till you have killed and wounded many of them” (47:4).

e. Allah does not like disbelievers, and he curses them in general (e.g., 2:89 and 3:32).

f. Allah will punish disbelievers in a severe, humiliating manner (e.g., 3:56, 3:141, 4:37, 4:151, 33:8, 35:7, 41:27, 41:50, 42:26, 45:11, 46:20, 57:20, 58:4-5, 64:5, 76:4, 79:1, and 88:23-24).

g. Disbelievers will go to the Fires of Hell (e.g., 3:12, 3:56, 3:131, 3:151, 9:73, 13:35, 17:8, 18:102, 21:98, 22:72, 29:54, 29:68, 30:16, 33:64, 35:36, 39:8, 39:32, 39:71, 40:6, 40:10, 41:28, 42:7, 46:20, 46:34, 47:12, 48:13, 57:19, 64:10, 66:9, 76:4, and 77:29-32).<

h. Not surprisingly then, “it (this Qur’an) will be an anguish for the disbelievers” (69:50), and “Perhaps (the day will come when) those who disbelieve wish that they were Muslims” (15:2).

Lt. Connelly wrote that this particular Koran “will keep the spiritual well-being high for Muslim recruits,” and Lt. Col. Pomaville wrote that it “will help bring strength to our Muslim Soldiers.” Considering how denigrating and hostile this Koran translation is toward Christians and Jews, one has to wonder what kind of “spiritual well-being” and “strength” Muslim military personnel will be experiencing when, after reading this particular Koran, they look at the Christians and Jews around them?

Lt. Col. Pomaville also wrote that this particular Koran translation will “help foster understanding to others who are seeking to learn more about Islam.” Considering Pomaville’s glowing letter to Hye about this Koran, Pomaville apparently had not looked at the contents of this Koran and didn’t realize what it was teaching: it denies the existence of the State of Israel and expresses Allah’s denigration of, and commands for violence toward Christians and Jews.

In terms of religion, hate speech is generally considered as speech that offends, threatens, or insults particular religions. Hye’s translation of the Koran certainly falls within these parameters, and I would hope that this particular Koran is no longer being distributed to U.S. military personnel.

My sincere thanks to Barbara Rabinowitz at Militant Islam Monitor for letting me know about Hye’s Koran.

Dr. Stephen M. Kirby is the author of five books about Islam. His latest book is The Lure of Fantasy Islam: Exposing the Myths and Myth Makers.

[1] https://www.finalrevelation.net/index.php

[2] In case this banner is removed from the website, a screenshot of the banner, taken on March 9, 2018, is at https://islamseries.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/final-revelation-screenshot-3-9-2018.jpg.

[3] https://www.finalrevelation.net/preview_files/118Easy-Quran.pdf. I have saved a copy of that presentation at https://islamseries.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/easy-interpretation-of-quran-powerpoint.pdf.

[4] The same map was used in the latest printing of this Koran (September 30, 2011, p. ix), and is on p. 8 of the above-mentioned “Easy Interpretation of Qur’an.”