# Koran Guideons? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 3, 2009, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/koran-guideons/488121 "2009-03-03T08:11:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/koran-guideons/488121/1 "2009-03-03T08:11:07Z")
Where can I get a free, English language Quoran? ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/koran-guideons/488121/2 "2009-03-03T08:39:15Z")
I do not believe there is an equivalent of the Gideons for the Quran. Part of the problem is that Muslims believe that the actual book is sacred rather than simply the words. Christians don’t mind if you accidentally (or even on purpose) tear pages out of the Bible, or write your own personal thoughts on it. Muslims and the Koran on the other hand is a different story. (I remember bringing one to college, it’s edges got crumpled in my bag and my Muslim friends were deeply offended. Whoops). However, you can download it! Try [this site](http://www.islamway.com/SF/quran/). Or better yet [this one](http://mideastweb.org/quran.htm). It’s a smaller file. If you want an actual hard copy, then you’ll have to ask a Muslim personally for one it seems. If they trust you not to damage it, they might give you one. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/koran-guideons/488121/3 "2009-03-03T09:55:42Z")
> [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](#): > > I do not believe there is an equivalent of the Gideons for the Quran. Part of the problem is that Muslims believe that the actual book is sacred rather than simply the words. Christians don’t mind if you accidentally (or even on purpose) tear pages out of the Bible, or write your own personal thoughts on it. Muslims and the Koran on the other hand is a different story. (I remember bringing one to college, it’s edges got crumpled in my bag and my Muslim friends were deeply offended. Whoops). > > However, you can download it! > > Try [this site](http://www.islamway.com/SF/quran/). Or better yet [this one](http://mideastweb.org/quran.htm). It’s a smaller file. > > If you want an actual hard copy, then you’ll have to ask a Muslim personally for one it seems. If they trust you not to damage it, they might give you one. Yes and no as I understand it. To Muslims the only real Koran is written in the original Arabic. A translated version is OK as an introduction to the curious but it is not the real Koran. Many hardliners feel that it is blasphemy to have a translated copy that does not also contain the original Arabic. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/koran-guideons/488121/4 "2009-03-03T09:59:45Z")
[Cite](http://www.newser.com/story/50115/2-afghans-face-death-over-koran-translation.html) for my previous post.