Quran Courses Attract Millions in Turkey
Regaining Islamic flavor to Turkish secular education, a government religious directorate has organized Quran courses nationwide, attracting more than three million students.
“500,000 Qurans and more than 10 million books on the rudiments of religion were distributed to the students,” Ali Erbaş, the head of the Religious Affairs Directorate’s Training Services branch told Anadolu Agency on Monday, September 2.
“That the age and school grade restriction was lifted and that books were distributed free of charge to the students was received well both by the students and the parents.
“This situation has led to an increase in the number of the pre-school and schooled students at the summer Quran courses,” he added.
Organized over the past summer, the courses were held under the motto “Come this summer, write the Quran upon your heart”.
The courses were offered in 72,439 different venues in which 115,183 trainers helped the students to acquire the basic knowledge of Islam.
At the end of the summer months, more than three million students have managed to attend Quran courses around Turkey.
Reaching this number was not an easy mission.
Erbaş said that with the Religious Affairs Directorate has launched a campaign which included opening ceremonies, children’s festivals, 250,000 banners and billboards among other events to familiarize the children with Islam.
The courses’ hours were also arranged flexibly so that students could attend at least one of the daily prayers at the mosque, he added
Muslims make up approximately 99 percent of Turkey's population, but the country is also home to several ancient Christian communities and Jews.
Source: On Islam
