Madagascar gov’t to close 16 Quran education institutes

Education Minister Paul Rabary said the decision will be carried out at the end of the current academic year.

He said the institutes had been initially established as private Islamic schools but were turned into centers for holding Quranic courses, al-Misriyun daily reported.

Rabary voiced readiness to meet with representatives of Muslims to explain the decision.

Madagascar is a huge island nation off the southeast coast of Africa.

Islam has been well established in what is now known as Madagascar for centuries.

Today Muslims represent about ten percent of the population of the African country.