Gaza Quranic Center Continues to Operate despite Difficult Challenges
According to a report by Al Jazeera, the Al-Nour Quranic Center in northern Gaza continues to provide educational and outreach programs despite the challenges caused by the war. However, officials emphasize that its continued operation is dependent on the provision of basic necessities such as copies of the Quran, fans, water and supplies for students.
The center offers a variety of programs, including Quran memorization, religious lectures, academic programs, summer camps and recitation sessions for the elderly. It also offers Quran recitation training for children and adults. The center also runs the ”Quranic Buds” program, which combines education in etiquette, ethics, jurisprudence and tradition for girls of all ages, from primary school to university.
The center's administrators told Al Jazeera that the war has created a new reality that necessitates a focus on instilling values and fostering a connection with the Quran among students of all ages. They noted that the center offers courses on the rules of Quran recitation for women and children, and accepts male students between the ages of six and nine and female Quran students between the ages of five and ninety.
The center's management explained that students start their day at 8 a.m. and travel from their homes, tents or sheltered schools to the mosque to participate in a daily program that lasts until 2 p.m. The program includes Quranic recitation sessions and memorization sessions. The management stressed that these long hours require providing snacks or other incentives to help students continue memorizing.
Due to a severe shortage of Quran copies, the center has resorted to oral instruction. Teachers recite from memory, starting with Juz’ 30 and then moving on to the remaining parts to continue teaching with limited resources.
Officials confirm that most of the Quran copies in the mosque are torn or worn out, and some were salvaged from the rubble of destroyed buildings to be used in teaching students. They emphasize that their goal is to preserve religious identity and instill the Quranic teachings in the hearts of a new generation despite the war.
The center’s administrators are asking donors to provide fans to reduce the heat inside the mosque. They are also asking for drinking water, Quran copies, scarves and appropriate clothing for students so that they can attend Quran memorization classes in better conditions.
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“Getting to the mosque has become a difficult task,” says one teacher. The center was established with minimal resources, she explains, and the mosque is still just a makeshift structure that lacks even the most basic amenities. She notes that students range in age from 5 to 19, and older women also attend. The center also needs prayer rugs and clothing for the children.
She adds that children and their families face constant fear as they try to reach the mosque due to the bombing. However, this has not prevented them from continuing their classes. She notes that teachers continue to support students with the limited resources they have, despite the psychological and economic pressures that affect everyone.
She explains that the daily bombing makes life increasingly difficult, but the center continues its activities, believing in the importance of teaching the Quran. He hopes that this effort will continue with wider support.
One student says that his greatest joy is going to the mosque to memorize the Quran and Hadiths and learn the rules of recitation and intonation. However, he notes that reaching the mosque has become a difficult task due to damaged roads.
He notes that the long distances and difficult transportation exacerbate the suffering of the students, especially those who come from distant areas. He emphasizes that despite the hardships they face, they feel comfort and joy simply by reaching the memorization circles.
The student concludes his remarks by appealing to the world to provide spiritual and material support to the students of the center. He believes that even the simplest forms of support are enough to boost their spirits after the loss and suffering they have endured. He also calls for an end to the war and the establishment of peace so that the residents of the Gaza Strip can return to their normal lives.
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