Edote and IIUM Celebrate World Braille Day 2026 with Braille Reading and Azan Competitions for the Visually Impaired

By, Aida Mokhtar and Tanja Jonid

Two special competitions for persons with visual impairment were held on 20 January in conjunction with World Braille Day 2026 at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

These were the Braille Reading Competition and the Azan Competition for Persons with Visual Impairment. They were organised by Edote Sdn. Bhd. in collaboration with IIUM’s Disability Services Unit (DSU). Other collaborators included IIUM’s Support Association for Parents of Special Needs Children (SUPPORT) and IIUM’s Community-Based Rehabilitation Centre (Pusat Pemulihan Dalam Komuniti [PDK]). The event was sponsored by Al-Fitrah Foundation, a non-profit organisation that assists the visually impaired accessing the Qur’an and Islamic texts by producing publications in braille.

The purpose of the competitions was to highlight the true abilities, discipline, and spiritual excellence of visually impaired individuals to religious leaders and institutional stakeholders. The event was graced by the Director of IIUM’s Centre for Islamisation (CENTRIS), Dato’ Hamidon Abdul Hamid.

In his speech, Dato’ Hamidon said, “It is alright if we are not perfect on the outside. What truly matters is that we are good on the inside, as we will leave our physical selves to meet Allah (SWT). Each pain and suffering felt by believers serves to erase our sins. Therefore, I hope that all persons with disabilities (PwDs) can offer supplications for us typical people, perhaps your supplications are answered by Allah (SWT)…” He recommended that the competition be developed into an international event so that the visually impaired muazzins can gain international recognition.

First-place winner of the Azan Competition for the public category, Muhammad Adib Iskandar bin Mohd Zamrie, receiving his certificate and prize money of RM1,500 from Dato’ Hamidon Abdul Hamid witnessed by Dr. Nor Afifah Shabani (left) and Prof. Dr. Ruzita Mohd Amin (right).

The first-place winner of the Azan Competition for the public category was a preparatory student at Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG) in Kuala Lumpur, Muhammad Adib Iskandar bin Mohd Zamrie. He said in an exclusive interview, “I am grateful for the win. I have not taken part in a competition for a long time. I will join other competitions in the future.”

***Judges of the Braille Reading Competition***

The Executive Director of Edote Sdn. Bhd., Dr. Nor Afifah Shabani remarked, “…the intention of the Azan Competition…is to inform the public that there are persons with visual impairment who are talented in calling the azan. If we did not have a competition like this, the public will not be aware of the talents of the participants.”

The Head of DSU, Prof. Dr. Ruzita Mohd Amin, stated in her speech, “IIUM has 160 students with disabilities and the number of students with visual impairment constitutes the second largest group in the university. We need greater visibility for PwDs, as there is not enough empathy. PwDs must be highlighted more in the mainstream.”

Each competition featured two participant categories: school students and members of the public.

Braille Reading Competition:

Student Category Winners

First place: Nik Huffadz Baihaqi bin Fadhli Adzha
Second place: Muhammad Umar Al Aqeef bin Md. Haikal

Public Category Winners

First place: Wan Mohd Suhaimi bin Wan Mohd Zawil Abidin
Second place: Izzatur Nadhirah binti Abdul Aziz
Third place: Tan Mike Foong

Azan Competition:

Student Category Winners

First place: Muhammad Qayiem Darwish bin Mohd Razwan
Second place: ⁠Muhammad Ziyad Hasif bin Yusaini
Third place: ⁠Mohamad Danish Rayyan bin Mohd Nazlee

Public Category Winners

First place: Muhammad Adib Iskandar bin Mohd Zamrie
Second place: Abdul Muis bin Shafie
Third place: Abdul Majid bin Mohd Yusoff, Muhammad Hazim Asyraf bin Rosmaini and Muhammad Rifaa’ bin Hairidzi

The first-place winners of the Braille Reading Competition in both the student and public categories received RM300 each. The first-place winner of the Azan Competition for the public category received RM1,500 and for the student category, RM500. All second-place winners received RM200 each, all third-place winners received RM100 each while the remaining participants were awarded consolation prizes of RM50 each.

The competitions were also attended by representatives from Darul Quran, Malaysian Institute of Islamic Understanding (IKIM), Islamic Da’wah Foundation of Malaysia (YADEIM), Al-Fitrah Foundation and the Ministry of Education.***

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aida Mokhtar, an academic in the Department of Communication, AbdulHamid AbuSulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (AHAS KIRKHS), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). She is the Chairperson of IIUM’s Support Association for Parents of Special Needs Children (SUPPORT).

Dr. Tanja Jonid, an academic in the Department of English Language and Literature, AbdulHamid AbuSulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences (AHAS KIRKHS), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). She is the Deputy Chairperson of IIUM’s Support Association for Parents of Special Needs Children (SUPPORT).