Turkey sends Quran for visually impaired around globe

By Sefa Mutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey provides the Muslim holy book written in Braille alphabet to many countries around the world, the head of the International Union for Braille Quran Services said.

"We aim to create an academic ground for the visually impaired people reciting the Quran," Selahattin Aydin told Anadolu Agency.

Aydin, who himself is blind, said that Egypt, Malaysia and Jordan are among countries currently printing the Islamic holy book using Braille -- a tactile writing system used by the visually impaired.

"An ordinary visually impaired person can learn to read the holy book with a Braille alphabet within 7-15 days," he said.

Aydin noted the International Union for Braille Quran Services -- an Istanbul-based umbrella organization of a number of foundations for blind people in over 10 countries -- has been functioning since 2014.

"We provide information flow to our members in 17 countries, and cooperate in printing the Quran," he added.

Stressing on the academic dimension, Aydin said that the union has organized three conferences on Braille Quran till now.

He also noted that the braille Quran first appeared in Turkey in the 1980s, while the first printing of the holy book using Braille alphabet in the country was made in the 1990s.

In Turkey, the first official courses on reading the Quran written in Braille took place in the Mediterranean city of Antalya in 1989, he added.

The Braille alphabet was invented by Louis Braille in 1829 for the reading and writing of visually impaired people.