Heritage Revival Center Holds a Weekly Religious and Cultural Program in Celebration of the National Quran Day
As part of a series of religious activities organized in observance of the World Week of the National Quran Day, the Center for the Revival of Arab Scientific Heritage at the University of Baghdad held, on Monday morning, January 19, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., in Professor Nabila Abdul Munim Dawood Hall, a workshop entitled “The Religious Significance of the Quran in China: A Historical Perspective” delivered by Dr. Liqaa Shaker Al-Sharifi, a faculty member at the Center.
The researcher addressed the religious status of the Quran among Muslims in China, noting that since the arrival of Islam in the country in the 7th century CE, the Quran has served as a spiritual and cultural reference, preserving the identity of Muslims within a multi-cultural society. With the arrival of Muslim traders and scholars during the Tang Dynasty, the Quran became the foundation of religious education in mosques and traditional schools.
Over the centuries, the Quran played a key role in unifying Chinese Muslims and instilling ethical and religious values among them, despite the political and social challenges they faced. Early attempts were also made in China to translate its meanings into Chinese to facilitate understanding and to relate its teachings to the local cultural context. The workshop included examples of Quranic manuscripts and ancient Chinese translations that illustrated these aspects.
In the modern era, the Quran continues to serve as a symbol of religious steadfastness and the preservation of Islamic identity. Dr. Al-Sharifi emphasized that its presence in China is not merely a ritual practice but represents a historical continuity reflecting the interaction of Islam with Chinese civilization over many centuries.
