NILAI: Yayasan RI (Rizalman Ibrahim) through Dar Al Qari Resources has donated RM3.9 million to Persons with Disabilities (PWD), particularly to the deaf community. Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) deputy vice chancellor (Academic and International) Prof Dr Nik Salida Suhaila Nik Salleh announced the donation, emphasizing the foundation’s commitment to supporting the IshaRI Translation Project via the USIM Ibnu Ummi Maktum Research Centre (UMMI).

According to BERNAMA News Agency, this project aims to aid USIM UMMI researchers in finalizing the Malaysian Sign Language (MSL) version translation of the Quran. Previously, only Juz Amma and selected surahs were available in the MSL version. The six-year initiative begins this month and will conclude in October 2030, establishing the Dato’ Hj Rizalman Hj Ibrahim Chair of Excellence to empower Quran education for the hearing-impaired community.

Prof Dr Nik Salida Suhaila highlighted that the Chair’s objective is to facilitate public lectures and develop a co
mprehensive Quran IshaRI application and portal, encompassing all 30 Juz, including recitation and translation. The Chair represents USIM’s effort to foster inclusive Quranic education for the hearing-impaired, a group historically underserved in this aspect of education.

She further elaborated that the initiative is set to harness the potential of the hearing-impaired through visual recitation, incorporating the Quran Hand Code and translations supported by Malaysian Sign Language (BIM). The Chair of Excellence is designed to involve extensive collaborations, public lectures, and the IshaRI Quran translation development.

Additionally, Yayasan RI, in partnership with Dar Al Qari Resources, plans to engage with UMMI for the MusafiRI project, an Umrah program for PWDs, as well as a Quran outreach service project aimed at PWDs, enhancing their accessibility to religious education and services.