[ti:Libyans Repair Old Qurans for Ramadan] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins, [00:04.24]a group of volunteers in Libya work long hours [00:09.56]to repair old or damaged copies of the Quran. [00:13.64]The Quran is Islam's most important holy book. [00:20.08]Khaled al-Drebi is one of Libya's best-known Quran restorers. [00:26.12]He is among the artisans who arrive at a workshop in Tripoli every day [00:32.16]to meet the rising demand for Qurans during Ramadan. [00:37.28]For Muslims, Ramadan is a month of spirituality. [00:41.68]There are daily sunrise-to-sundown fasts, [00:45.64]along with prayer and acts of kindness. [00:49.92]The month also means an increase in the sales of Qurans. [00:55.64]"The purchase of new Qurans traditionally increases [00:59.20]before the month of Ramadan, but this has recently changed in Libya," [01:03.80]Drebi told the French News Agency (AFP). [01:09.44]For many people, it has been harder to buy Qurans. [01:13.12]There has been an increase in the cost of Qurans, [01:16.44]especially "since the state stopped printing" them in Libya, Drebi said. [01:22.28]The North African nation has been through 11 years of conflict. [01:26.68]The government is weak and the country's economy, [01:30.80]which depends on oil exports, is in poor condition. [01:35.92]But, Drebi said, "Restoring old Qurans [01:39.24]has gained unprecedented popularity." [01:42.88]A new Quran can cost more than $20. [01:46.64]Drebi's workshop charges just a few dollars to restore one. [01:52.88]But cost is not the only important thing. [01:56.52]For many people, the older Qurans also have sentimental value. [02:02.44]"There is a spiritual connection for some" people, Drebi said. [02:06.24]He added that many choose to save Qurans passed on from relatives. [02:12.16]"Some say this Quran has the smell of my grandfather or parents." [02:17.96]Abdel Razzaq al-Aroussi works on going through [02:21.72]thousands of Qurans based on their level of damage. [02:26.12]"The restoration of Qurans with limited damage [02:29.08]takes no more than an hour, [02:31.04]but for those that are very damaged, [02:33.36]they could require two or more hours," Aroussi said. [02:37.44]They "must be undone, restored and then bound," he said. [02:42.20]It is a difficult process that requires a lot of "time and concentration." [02:49.08]Mabrouk al-Amin is also involved with the workshop. [02:53.60]He said the restoration process "requires a good number of artisans." [02:59.32]"Working with the book of God is very enjoyable [03:02.60]and we don't get bored...there is an indescribable joy in this work," he said. [03:09.04]Restorers say they have repaired half a million Qurans [03:12.76]since the workshop opened in 2008. [03:15.88]More than 1,500 trainees have graduated from 150 restoration workshops. [03:24.36]In recent years, more and more women have been restoring Qurans. [03:30.36]One female restorer, Khadija Mahmoud, [03:34.00]trains women at a workshop in Zawiya, 45 kilometers west of Tripoli. [03:40.00]She said it is easier and faster [03:43.08]to restore Qurans in a women's workshop. [03:47.44]She added that the restoration work has given many women [03:51.20]a meaningful way to fill their free time. [03:55.04]She has even held training sessions for blind women. [03:58.52]"A large segment of trainees and restorers are retirees," she said. [04:04.88]"For them, there is nothing better than [04:07.68]spending their spare time in the service of the Quran." [04:12.36]I'm Dan Novak. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM