Syrian refugee teaching voluntarily in Van where he flees from the war

VAN - Muhammad Selim Halef, who settled in Van after escaping from the civil war in Syria, voluntarily teaches Arabic and hadith lessons to students in a Qur'an Course.

Muhammad Selim Halef, who settled in Syria's Qamishlo from Van's Gevaş due to various reasons in 1946, returned to Van about 4 years ago due to civil war in Syria. Muhammad Selim Halef voluntarily teaches Arabic and hadith lessons to Qur'an Course students in Van.

Syrian citizen Muhammed Selim Halef, a graduate of the Faculty of Islamic History and Literature at Damascus University, is happy to teach his students.

Muhammed Selim Halef, who graduated from the Faculty of Islamic History and Literature at Damascus University, became a volunteer teacher in the Imam-i Azam Male Quran Course in Erenkent District of Van, Edremit and for 4 years ago.

"We have come to Van as a refugee because of the war in Syria. We have performed this relocation for Allah and for the Prophet (PBUH)," said Halef by expressing that he has lost one of his child and house in Syria's war. "We came here to protect our religion and our lives. Turkiye is the land of our father and grandfather, our homeland. We haven’t come to a foreign place. None of an Islamic country is a foreign land for Muslims. All are homelands for Muslims," he added.

"If we have the knowledge, we have to spread it"

Describing that they had migrated to Syria from the small Gevaş town of Van and that his father gave great importance to the education of his children, Halef said; "We took my children and came to Van to make them study and to stay with our relatives. I am teaching Arabic for 4 years. Thanks to God, I can teach both Arabic and Kurdish, we have 25 students here (Qur'an course). We teach both the theologians students and to imams. We have the power to teach anyone who is younger or adult. We have to spread it if we have knowledge." (Yunus Tuğrul - ILKHA)