KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — Baling MP Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim has pledged to allocate 12.8 hectares of land for a so-called "Quran university” in his constituency.

The Umno MP said he will award the land to Permata Al-Quran, a national tahfiz school association, using his own personal capacity, with further help from Putrajaya when it comes to the infrastructure, Utusan Malaysia reported today.

"I will find ‘wakaf’ land in the Baling area and award it to Permata Al-Quran but the application to develop the university I must discuss further with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak,” he reportedly said, referring to land designated for charity purposes.

The association has also reportedly requested for exclusive quota for 10 of its directors and best students to perform umrah, or minor pilgrimage to Mecca.

In response, Azeez — who is also the chairman of pilgrims’ fund Lembaga Tabung Haji — said no quota is needed for umrah, but he could fund the pilgrimages using Tabung Haji Foundation’s funds.

The Star reported last week that there are 519 tahfiz schools registered nationwide as of April, but there are many more that remain unregistered.