The Head of the Holy Qur'an Memorization Society in Madina has announced that the teacher accused of assaulting a six-year-old pupil is not a member of his organization. Dr. Muhammad Bin Shadid Al-Oufi, who is also Secretary General of the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur'an, said that the mosque where the teacher conducted his classes, is not one of his society's schools. Al-Oufi slammed the alleged behavior of the man. “What has been perpetrated by the teacher is in conflict with the manners and behavior of Qur'an teachers, who must be gentle and kind to attract children and make them love the Book of Allah.” His society has 1,617 affiliated schools for boys and girls with 1,500 teachers and 45,210 students. He said the society's management is committed to uphold strict morals and educational methods of teachers. When teachers are hired they are told “to guarantee that students learn the Holy Qur'an in a proper way and not to hurt the pupil physically or psychologically”. He added that the management has issued directives for all its staff to read the recent story in Okaz and Saudi Gazette about the teacher's assault of the pupil. Saudi Gazette has previously reported that the Emir of Madina, Prince Abdulaziz Bin Majed, indicated Monday that he will order the arrest and detention of a Qur'an teacher if it is proven that he beat and lashed the six-year-old boy. The Emir's order stressed that the police should inform his office as soon as investigations are completed. The Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution is now investigating the Arab teacher. The police initially arrested the man and placed him in the Ohud Police detention center on Sunday after the boy's father reported the alleged beating. The alleged assault was discovered by the boy's mother when he came home in distress from the Al-Harethi mosque in the Alharra Alsharqiya District where he was enrolled in the Qur'an memorization course. She discovered signs of beating and lashes on his body and face. The father, Siddiq Ahmad Abdulaali, described his son's ordeal as “torture”. “He beat him with a water hose,” the father alleged. He said he was determined to pursue the matter.
