Benjamin Albayrak, an official with Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), said the number of Quran memorizers registered at Diyanet since 1976 has reached 128,440, Turkiyaalan website reported.
He said they have all received certificates showing that they have learned the Quran by heart.
According to Albayrak, some 70,000 students are also taking courses on memorization of the Quran in schools across the country.
Nearly 5,000 Quran instructors are involved in teaching them the Quran, he said.
The official added that 6500 school students managed to get Quran memorization certificates in 2016, while the number of those receiving the certificate in 2015 and 2014 was 6000 and 5500 respectively.
He went on to say that 77,000 summer Quranic courses are being held for children and young adults across Turkey and that some 3 million children attend the Quranic classes.
Turkey is a Muslim majority country in West Asia. Some 99
percent of the country’s population adhere to Islam.