Awwal 07, 1432 / April 11, 2011, SPA -- President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal today opened Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Contest on memorization of the holy Quran for African continent. Present at the opening ceremony was Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulmohsen Al-Turki, the Secretary General of the Makkah-based Muslim World League. A speech ceremony was held to mark the occasion. Addressing the gathering one after the other were Sheikh Alhabeeb Lee, Chairman of the Islamic Forum for Development; Dr. Abdullah bin Ali Basfar, Secretary General of the International Commission for the Memorization of the Holy Quran; Dr. Al-Turki; and President Wade. For his part, Basfar said the Commission has held 29 contests on the memorization of the holy Quran over the past years in which 3361 contesters took part. He said the Commission supervises more than 8000 memorizers in the world. More than 30,000 have been graduated by the Commission over the past years, he concluded. Al-Turki conveyed the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to President Wade, his government and the people of Senegal. Given the podium, President Wade confirmed that King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has a serious plan to spread the holy Quran all over the world. Wade said 95% of Senegalese people are Muslims.
