TEHRAN – Algeria authorities said they plan to distribute free copies of the Holy Qur’an in braille among the visually-impaired in France.
They will be handed out via the Grand Mosque of Paris, whose officials have strong ties with French authorities, Al-Quds al-Arabi reported.
It is aimed at helping the visually-impaired to have access to the Holy Book.
It is also part of efforts to support Muslims in Europe, especially in light of recent Islamophobic moves by some far-right activists in a number of European countries.
Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has recently voiced his country’s willingness to help in efforts to combat Islamophobia and anti-Islamic moves in the world.
Back in June 2022, Algeria’s religious affairs minister said a new version of the Qur’an in braille will be published in the country in the near future.
Youssef Belmahdi said the copy will be the first in its kind in the Arab and Muslim world.
He noted that the copy includes verses of the Qur’an in normal script as well as braille.
Braille is a writing system which enables the blind and partially-sighted people to read and write through touch.
It was invented by Louis Braille (1809-1852), who was blind and became a teacher of the blind.
In recent years, the Holy Qur’an and religious books have been printed in Braille to help the visually-impaired Muslims read the texts with ease.