Meet 80-Year-Old Christian Who Has Been Teaching Quran for 50 Years
Despite the fear and the tension, Egyptians are pushing through, and many of different faiths have come together in the aftermath of the attacks in a show of solidarity.
But, this is nothing new. Egypt has many stories of coexistence, one of which made headlines a little under a year ago.
They include the story of an elderly Egyptian man who's been making a difference through education.
In a small village in Minya governorate in upper Egypt, Ayyad Shaker Hanna, an 80-year-old Christian teacher, has been teaching Quran for over 50 years.
He has many loyal students who have been bringing their children to learn from him.
Ayyad teaches children all subjects, not just Quran. He charges a small fee, and if a child's family can't afford this small fee, no problem, he will teach for free.
On any given day you can hear him saying to one of his students "let me hear you recite," to which the student responds with: "In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."
Ayyad not only helps his students memorize verses of the Quran by heart, he also corrects their recitation, and explains the meaning to them.
Ayyad, amicably known as Uncle Ayyad, also teaches the Gospels and Biblical verses to his Christian students.
He holds classes all week long, from Monday to Friday.
Ayyad says he feels lonely on his weekends, and misses having the children around.
A passage from the Bible here, a verse from the Quran there, and now hundreds of people in his village can read and write thanks to Ayyad.
His classes teach them to love and respect one another.
Source: Step Feed
