All praise is due to Almighty Allah (SWT) the Lord of the World and Peace and Salutation be upon our beloved Prophet Nabi Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) South Africa is a member of the International Union of Braille Qur’an Services. This body was formed last year in Istanbul, Turkey to promote Braille Qur’an Literacy and to form a unified Arabic Qur’an Braille Code internationally. Fifteen countries including South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and Iran are members. Our chairman, brother Selahattin Ayidin of Beyazay Foundation, Istanbul had established contact with the blind Muslims of Albania. They had requested our help to read the Holy Qur’an in Braille. Madrassa An-Noor for the Blind had sent a few copies of the Holy Qur’an and our ‘Noor-Ul-Qur’an’ primers to Tirana. Mr Mehdi Gurra, the head of Alsar Foundation in Albania thereafter invited us to visit Albania on an exploratory visit to see how further assistance can be rendered to the blind in that part of the world. Albania was previously a communist country for over seventy years. Atheism was enforced and all forms of religious instruction was banned. The previous leader Enver Hoxha was an avowed atheist. The local people mentioned to us that his uncles and grandfather were from the Ulema.

Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe. Over 75% of persons of its population are Muslim and the balance includes mostly eastern Orthodox Christians and other denominations.

Moulana Murchie and his son Humayd accompanied Selahaudin Aydi and Halis Kurlay of Turkey for our first visit to Albania on 28 of January 2013. In Tirana, we met the head of the Albanian Blind Association, Dr. Sinan Tafaj. There are over ten thousand blind Muslims in Albania. Furthermore, our attention was drawn to the neighbouring country of Macedonia wherein there are great numbers of Muslims requiring similar assistance.

We then had the opportunity of visiting the Albanian Blind Association’s new premises and to meet some Blind students. Brother Halis in his address to the students mentioned that, “what do you think about a person who receives a letter from his most beloved friend and benefactor and does not open it at all?” We would agree that this situation is definitely abnormal. He then explained that Almighty Allah is our Creator and Sustainer who is Most Merciful and Kind and we are guilty of not reading his message, i.e. The Holy Qur’an.

Three scholarships for students to study at Madrassa An-Noor for the Blind were offered. Arrangements are also being made for our instructors to attend the Qur’an Braille Workshop that is to take place in January and February in Istanbul, Turkey.

During our brief stay in Turkey, we visited the Göznuru Eye Hospital in Gaziantep which is close to Syria. We are sponsoring eye operations for the refugees of Syria in collaboration with Al-Imdaad Foundation of South Africa. Alhumdulil Allah, the facilities at this hospital are excellent and there is demand for more sponsors to help the wounded war refugees. Your assistance towards this cause will be rewarded by Almighty Allah.

May Almighty Allah (SWT) accept our efforts and may He forgive us our short comings and may He guide the Muslim Ummah from the Darkness of ignorance to light of Imaan. Ameen.