MADINAH: A symposium on teaching the Qur’an to people with special needs was launched on Wednesday by Yousef bin Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz bin Saeed, deputy minister of Islamic affairs, call and guidance. Specialists in teaching the visually impaired will take part in the forum. Bandar bin Fahd Al-Suwailem, secretary-general of the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an in Madinah, urged participants to develop new methods and ideas in the service of those with special needs. Saad bin Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar Yusuf, an assistant professor at Egypt’s New Valley University, told the forum that the Qur’an “encourages the teaching of Islam to the weak and the disabled.”   “The symposium reflects the care and attention that the Kingdom and its wise leadership accord to people with special needs, especially the visually impaired,” he said. Yusuf said that the symposium will help to meet the challenges faced by people with disabilities, allowing them to become partners in building communities. Bin Saeed launched several Qur’an projects on behalf of the complex, including a five-volume Braille version and a translation in Japanese.