Auckland dental surgeon Dr Mohammed Shorab, who at the time was president of the Ahmadiyya New Zealand Muslim association, and Shafiq Ur Rehman, a lecturer in mathematics at Auckland University, hold copies of the Māori-language version of the Qur'an in 2009. The Qur'an's translation from Arabic was a 20-year project for Pakistan-born Shakil Monir while teaching English in Nigeria. Shorab said the translation 'not only shows our respect and regard for the Maori community, but is also a way to share with New Zealand something special and meaningful to us' (New Zealand Herald, 15 April 2010).