The leader of the Muslim faith in Samoa says he translated Islam's central text into Samoan to dispel misunderstanding of the religion.
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.
The Imam Mohammed Bin Yahya said he had been trying to help Samoans understand Islam for twenty years.
"And that led to the translation of the Quran 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?'"
"It took me about three years to translate it," he said.
Mohammed Bin Yahya said he hoped the Samoan version of the Quran would help people decide if they support constitutional change.
Dr Mohammed Bin Yahya, Imam of the Muslim Faith in Samoa. Photo: RNZI/Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia
