The draft of the state program on action plans was elaborated for “2018 – the year of Support of active entrepreneurship, innovative ideas and technology” within the framework of Action Strategies on the five directions for the development of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021.
According to President’s degree dated November 28, 2017 public discussion is going to be taken into account until January 15, 2018.
The fifth direction of Action strategy of the State Program Draft is “Provision of security, international harmony and religious tolerance with priorities on deeply-well-thought, mutual and practical foreign policy.” There are a number of articles related to religious sphere. Here is the one related to organizing international Qur’an festival:
Article 219. Organition of the 1st International Festival on Qur’an reading. The deadline is July 10, 2018 and will be in Bukhara region.
Organizational acitivies:
- promotion of pure essence of Islam in the world community;
- rewarding Qur’an reciter in various nominations;
- support of society and youth in enlightenment;
- promotion of rich historical, religious and cultural heritage to tourists.
Press service,
Muslim Board of Uzbekistan
Sheikh Bashir bin Ahmed Siddiq, the senior Quran recitation teacher at Al-Masjid An-Nabawi, passed away on October 1, 2025, after dedicating sixty years to teaching at the Prophet’s Mosque. His students include some of the most prominent reciters and Islamic scholars of recent generations, forming a legacy that extends across the Muslim world.
Among his notable students are former Holy Mosques Imams Sheikh Muhammad Ayyoub and Sheikh Ali Jaber, current An-Nabawi Imams Sheikh Abdul Muhsin Al-Qasim and Sheikh Salah Al-Budair, and Sheikh Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Shanqiti of the Senior Scholars Council. These figures represent just a portion of the thousands who studied under Sheikh Bashir’s guidance at the Medina mosque.
Sheikh Bashir established himself as a pillar of Quranic education within the sacred premises of the Prophet’s Mosque. His teaching career spanned six decades, during which he maintained a consistent presence in the mosque’s educational circles.
Students traveled from various countries specifically to learn Quran recitation from him, drawn by his reputation for precision and deep knowledge of tajweed rules.
The Sheikh’s methodology combined traditional teaching techniques with deep scholarly insight, creating a learning environment that produced some of the most recognized voices in Islamic recitation.
His students now lead prayers at Islam’s holiest sites and hold positions on scholarly councils, continuing the traditions he preserved and taught.