Turkish charity distributes Quran in 8 African states

By Hanife Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Turkish humanitarian agency distributed a total of 22,450 copies of Quran in African countries in 2019, it said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Istanbul-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) said due to poverty in Africa, many people could not acquire a copy of the Muslim holy book despite their willingness to study it.

Therefore, the statement said, the IHH decided to distribute the copies of Quran in eight African countries -- including Rwanda, Niger and Ghana -- mostly to students.

Yusuf Islam Demirci, an official at the foundation, said the people who want to learn the Quran and students who want to be a preacher needed the book.

"They were writing the verses of the Quran on blackboards using limewash," he said.

Demirci said thanks to the foundation's donors, people can now study the Quran easily.

* Writing by Fahri Aksut