World Muslims and non-Muslims must celebrate 12th Rabi’ul Awwal, 1433 – 5th February, 2012 – as World Day of Qur’an for Universal Male-Female Literacy.

And they must do the same thing consistently every year thereafter – on every 12th Rabiul Awwal.

And there is a simple and yet a most powerful and convincing reason for doing so: Because it was the Qur’an that first called for universal male-female literacy.

The Qur’an did so 1400 years ago – by asking everyone everywhere, male as well as female, to read.

That is one of the greatest miracles of the Qur’an – and the very first one, if you look at it that way. [...]