Imam Mahdi (AS) Center in Brazil Organizes Quranic Course for Kids, Students
Among those programs is a Quranic course held every Saturday for children aged 5 to 12.
Hojat-ol-Islam Hussein Khalilu, Asma Khazraji, Rubab Kunyar, and Zeynab Jamoud are the instructors.
The course includes lessons on memorization of the Quran, memorization of some Surahs (chapters), stories of the Quran, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) and prayers.
According to Asma al-Khazraji, it began in the lunar month of Sha’aban (May).
She told IQNA that as well as Brazilians, children with Iraqi, Iranian, Lebanese, Sudanese and Syrian nationalities have taken the course.
Khazraji said it is aimed at enhancing Muslim children’s knowledge of Islam, the Quran and the Seerah of Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) and helping them read the Quran accurately.
She went on to say that it has been received very warmly by
Muslims and is expected to develop in the future.
Islam has a long history in Brazil. It entered the Latin American country in the 16th century with the migration of slaves from western Africa. Most of the country’s minority Muslims used to be black people of Uruba race.
Their number reached 100,000 by 1910 despite all the restrictions and bans on their religious activities.
During the 20th century, thousands of Muslims moved from Lebanon, Syria, and a number of other countries to Brazil, which led to further spread of Islam in the country.
But it is not only migration that accounts for the rising number of Muslims in this South American state. There have been numerous Brazilians converting to Islam in recent years after learning about its lofty teachings.
Currently, Brazil’s Muslim population is estimated at 1 million, with the city of Rio de Janeiro having the largest number of Muslims.
There are 127 mosques in Brazil, statistics show, four times more than the number in the year 2000.
Brazil is the largest country in Latin America and the 5th most populous country in the world.
