By Aaron Okotel
MBALE CITY
Over 400 students in Uganda’s Eastern Region gathered at the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) Mbale on Saturday, September 20, 2025, for the fourth annual Quran Conference.
The event was organized by Friends of the Quran (FROQAN) and the Muslim Students Association of Uganda (MSAU), marking four years of a powerful partnership dedicated to connecting young Muslims with the Holy Quran.
According to Mwasa Kassim Ahmad, Chairman of Friends of the Quran, the primary goal of the conference is to “endear the Muslim students’ fraternity towards the Quran” and empower them to find solutions to their daily challenges from social and financial issues to mental health problems within its divine verses.
Umar Mwanje, President of MSAU, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the conference’s role in helping students navigate a modern world where values are increasingly challenged by social media and Western influences. The aim is for students to lead a guided, Islamic life and resist trading their values for “social media attention.”
The event drew participants from more than 20 higher institutions across Eastern Uganda, including IUIU, Soroti University, UCC, and Elgon technical, ETC.
The organizers were honored to host a lineup of distinguished guests and speakers. The keynote speaker was Chief Imam Sheikh Bashir Ahmed Al-Hafiz, of IUIU mosque who is also in charge of the Quran memorization Center.
The guest of honor, Sheikh Issa Ahmad Masaba, the District Kadhi of Bugisu Muslim District, was hailed as a very busy but dedicated colleague whose presence empowered the organizers and showed the conference’s significance.
Both Ahmed and Umar expressed their hope that the knowledge shared during the conference would be a source of immense benefit for the students and that they would, in turn, become beacons of light for others.
Looking ahead, the organizers plan to expand their efforts. Having successfully hosted this first regional conference, they intend to bring the message of the Quran to students across the entire country, with the Western region of Uganda next on their agenda.
