3 million students attend Quran courses this summer in Turkey

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

More than three million students attended Quran courses around Turkey during the past summer, according to an official from the Religious Affairs Directorate.

The Quran courses that are organized by the Religious Affairs Directorate with the motto, “Come this summer, write the Quran upon your heart,” have brought the basic knowledge of Islam through the Quran to more than three million students.

Ali Erbaş, the head of the Religious Affairs Directorate’s Training Services branch, said that the students were trained in 72,439 venues by 115,183 trainers and there had been great participation in the courses.

“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,” said Erbaş, adding that 500,000 Qurans and more than 10 million books on the rudiments of religion were distributed to the students.

Erbaş said that with the Religious Affairs Directorate’s campaign, which included opening ceremonies, children’s festivals, 250,000 banners and billboards among other events to familiarize the children with Islam, they had increased the number of students attending the Quran and religious rudiments courses in comparison to the summer of 2012.

Erbaş said the courses’ hours were arranged flexibly so that students could attend at least one of the daily prayers at the mosque, adding that most of the students attended the courses and events organized within the campaign with great interest.