Saudi contestant is winner of Dubai Quran award

Dubai - The second position was shared by 17-year-old Bilal Abdulkhalikov from Dagestan and 14-year-old Adeen Shahzad Rehman from the USA, who won Dh200,000 each.

The Dubai International Holy Quran Award announced the top ten winners of its 20th edition late on Saturday at the Cultural and Scientific Association in Al Mamzar.
The top position of the 'International Holy Quran Competition' and Dh250,000 prize money was won by 20-year-old Turki bin Muqrin bin Ahmed Alabdulmunim of Saudi Arabia.
The second position was shared by 17-year-old Bilal Abdulkhalikov from Dagestan and 14-year-old Adeen Shahzad Rehman from the USA, who won Dh200,000 each.
The other winners included Abdulrahman Abduljalil (Libya), Abdullah Al Mamun (Bangladesh), Ibrahim Ismael (Niger), Ekaha Beitate (Mauritania), Toufiq Abdelli (Algeria), Jasim Khalifa (Bahrain) and Malek Adnan (Jordan).
The prize money for the winners ranged from Dh65,000 to Dh55,000. The contestants who scored 80% and above were rewarded with Dh30,000 each while those scored 70-79% received Dh25,000 each, and those scoring less than 70% got Dh20,000 each. Appreciation certificates and cash prizes were given away to other participants.
At the concluding ceremony, 96-year-old Sheikh Mohammed Ali Sultan Al Ulama, the Islamic Personality of the Year, was also honoured in appreciation to his tireless effort in serving the Holy Quran and over 200 charity projects.
"The Award, which started with two sections in 1997, has branched out to 14 categories in 2016, after the addition of a new programme for the scientific miracles in the Holy Quran," said Ibrahim Mohammed Bu Melha, Adviser to the Ruler of Dubai for Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs and Head of the Award Organising Committee.
This is basically due to the incessant support of the founder of the award, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, he underlined.
Shaikh Ayman Rushdi Suwaid, chairman of the arbitration committee, said the 12-night competition this year saw 81 contestants selected from an initial list of 86 memorisers.
"Initially, 92 memorisers were confirmed for this award, but five from China, Liberia, Uzbekistan, Djibouti, and Guinea Conakry withdrew, and six others from Iraq, Chechnya, Angola, Ukraine, Belgium, and Macedonia were disqualified for failing to score the 70 percent required to pass the initial tests.
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com

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