Summer Qur'an Courses Opened with a Ceremony Held in Bursa

With the start of the schools' summer vacation, the summer Qur'an courses, eagerly awaited by millions of children and families across the country, have officially begun. The “2026 Summer Qur'an Courses Opening Program”, held under the chairmanship of Diyanet İşleri Başkanı Safi Arpaguş, was organized with great enthusiasm in Bursa. The official opening ceremony, hosted by the Merinos Atatürk Kongre ve Kültür Merkezi (AKKM), attracted intense interest from the city protocol, numerous students, and guests. The program was described as the foundation of a significant spiritual investment aimed at bringing children together with moral values. Thus, the summer months turned into an opportunity for both rest and spiritual development for the students.

The opening ceremony in Bursa took place with broad participation from the region's top administrators and civil society representatives. The ceremony was attended by Bursa Valisi Erol Ayyıldız, AK Parti Bursa Milletvekilleri Emine Yavuz Gözgeç and Ahmet Kılıç, along with Bursa Büyükşehir Belediye Başkan Vekili Şahin Biba. Additionally, Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı Eğitim İşleri Genel Müdürü Sedide Akbulut, Bursa Cumhuriyet Başsavcısı Mustafa Çelenk, and İl Jandarma Komutanı Tümgeneral İdris Tataroğlu took their places in the protocol. Numerous guests, including İl Emniyet Müdürü Kadir Gökce, İl Müftüsü Yavuz Selim Karabayır, and Bursa Teknik Üniversitesi Rektörü Prof. Dr. Naci Çağlar, honored the program. This high-level participation revealed the critical importance of the summer Qur'an courses for both the state and society.

Diyanet İşleri Başkanı Safi Arpaguş, who spoke at the program, drew attention to the vital role of summer Qur'an courses in equipping children with religious knowledge, moral values, and spiritual awareness. Emphasizing that the most fundamental goal of education is to raise honest, conscientious, and compassionate individuals under the guidance of the Qur'an and sunnah, Arpaguş stated that this process is not merely an academic activity. Arpaguş expressed that raising children as good individuals and good Muslims is their most prioritized duty, and strengthening their spirituality is essential. Having a strong character and a balanced state of mind is achieved through an individual's healthy connections with the Creator, the prophet, the holy book, and the place of worship. In this context, Arpaguş stated that the ceremony laid the foundation for an invaluable spiritual investment for the future.

Considering developing technology and changing conditions of the era, the message was conveyed that protecting the values that make us human is a shared responsibility of everyone. Arpaguş noted that supporting the spiritual development of children has become an obligation, especially in today's digital age where harmful ideas and trends spread rapidly. He emphasized that just as children's physical needs are important, their spiritual requirements must be met with the same sensitivity. The Diyanet İşleri Başkanı proudly announced that as a result of the efforts made last year, exactly 2 million 500 thousand children were reached in mosques and courses. He added to his words that this figure is not just a numerical success, but a concrete indicator that the hearts of millions of children were touched, and that they will work with the same determination this year.

Emphasizing that family support is one in educational processes, Arpaguş provided important advice to parents to embrace their children's education and to avoid no sacrifices in this regard. Stating that children take the things their parents value as role models, he expressed that it is very difficult for an education lacking family protection to be successful. He stated that the training needs to be enriched so that students leave the mosques not only with religious knowledge but also with love, trust, and beautiful memories. Reminding that all kinds of negative behavior that might alienate children from mosques should be avoided, Arpaguş gave the glad tidings that all educational materials and social activities are meticulously prepared. The opening program was completed with a happy ending, featuring a recitation of the Qur'an, a Karagöz and Hacivat shadow play introducing historical mosques, and stage performances.