NGO leads charge to simplify, modernise Qu’ran to attract youth
An Islamic non-governmental organisation (NGO), Al-Fattahu Foundation for Youth and Girl-Child Education (AFFYAGE), has launched a digital Qur’an education initiative designed to simplify learning and improve access for young people.
The programme, which will be installed on digital devices in selected Islamic learning centres, seeks to modernise Qur’anic instruction through technology-driven tools that support recitation, memorisation and understanding.
By integrating digital learning into Islamic education, the initiative aims to make Qur’anic studies more engaging, align with contemporary educational trends and equip the next generation of Muslims with religious knowledge suited to an increasingly digital world.
The initiative was launched in Accra last Sunday, in collaboration with the Billal Islamic Centre (BIC), under the auspices of the Nii Boiman Traditional Area.
It was held alongside the maiden edition of the Okaikoi North Municipality Zonal Qur’an Memorisation and Recitation Competition (Musaabaqa).
Participating schools included Bilal Islamic Centre Islamic School, Attawaniya Islamic School, Khalfani Islamic School, Jamat Firdaus Islamic School and Ibn Abbas Islamic School.
It aimed to motivate young Muslims to deepen their mastery of Qur’anic recitation and memorisation while promoting discipline, excellence and sustained engagement with Islamic learning.
Islam and STEM
The Founder of AFFYAGE, Sheikh Hamid Mohammed Ibrahim, said the Qur’an, as revealed to Prophet Muhammad, was timeless, universal and relevant to all eras, including modern developments such as artificial intelligence (AI) and space exploration.
He explained that AFFYAGE’s digital Qur’an education initiative was designed to align Islamic education with rapid global change and the government’s STEM-focused education policy.
Sheikh Ibrahim further stated that the initiative would make Qur’anic learning more engaging, accessible and entertaining through digital tools, discourage forced learning, promote memorisation within four years and ensure that young Muslims carry the Qur’an with them everywhere as a lifelong guide.
“We should try to eliminate the bad practices from our social media business. We should try to encourage best practices by living with the Quran in our daily undertakings. There is nothing wrong if you take your mobile to your place of work and want to read one or two verses of the Quran. You’ll learn something from it,” he stressed.
Quran made easy
The Executive Director of SAID Academy, Imam Sa-id Mukhtar Abubakar, in his keynote, said the Qur’an was divinely made easy and universally accessible, citing Surah Al-Qamar (54:17) as Allah’s assurance that no generation had an excuse not to learn it.
He explained that human forgetfulness made constant remembrance necessary, and that technology now fulfilled this divine promise of ease.
Linking Qur’anic teachings to Surah Al-Muddathir (74:2), he urged Muslims to rise with purpose by embracing digital literacy and STEM education.
He said digital tools—such as audio recitations, translations and interactive platforms—could revive Muslim youth engagement, bridge learning gaps and harmonise faith with Ghana’s digital transformation agenda.
The Chief of the Nii Boiman Traditional Area, Nii Ayi Mensah Okropong I, who chaired the event, stressed that Qur’anic education was essential to shaping disciplined and morally upright youth.
He lamented the growing divide between Muslims who had received an Islamic education and those who had not, noting that the lack of Qur’anic knowledge often led to misconduct and negative stereotypes.
The traditional leader emphasised that proper religious education would help young people become mindful, responsible and law-abiding citizens.
He said the initiative would help curb social vices, restore positive values within the Muslim community and ensure that future generations lived by the teachings of the Qur’an.
