APIA, Samoa – A translated copy of Qur’an, the Muslims’ holy book, into Samoan language is due to arrive from Turkey, in a hope to bring Islam closer to the people of the Pacific Ocean islands.

Translating the copy, Imam Mohammed Bin Yahya said he had been trying to help Samoans understand Islam for twenty years, Radio New Zealand reported on Friday, May 12.

“And that led to the translation of the Qur’an into the local language because I saw that if people don’t know what this is for they will never accept Islam because they need to see what book do the Muslims read and believe in,” he said.

“And when we talk about Islam they say, ‘what is that? Is it a new drink?’, he added.

Imam Yahya, the leader of the Muslim faith in Samoa, added that he translated the Qur’an into Samoan to dispel misunderstanding of the religion.

“It took me about three years to translate it,” he said.

About two-thousand copies of the Quran are due to arrive in Samoa from Turkey where they were printed.

The Samoa government was in the process of amending the constitution to make Samoa a Christian state after a Samoan church leader called for Islam to be banned.

Mohammed Bin Yahya said he hoped the Samoan version of the Qur’an would help people decide whether they support constitutional change or not.