Iranians crowned Int’l Quran Contest

TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) – Two Iranian nationals finished first in recitation and memorization categories of the 33rd International Quran Competition held in Tehran. The 33rd edition of International Quran Competition of the Islamic Republic of Iran kicked off on May 11 in the Iranian capital of Tehran and wrapped up on Tuesday May 17 with the announcement of winners in the closing ceremony. According to the announcement, Iran’s Hamed Valizadeh bagged the top prize in the recitation category of the event followed by Mohammad Javid Akbari of Afghanistan who finished runner-up and Indonesia’s Bahr Al Din Saeid from Indonesia landing third. Syed Abbas Ali from Germany and Mustafa Ali from the Netherlands won the fourth and fifth ranks, respectively. Meanwhile, in memorization section, Iran’s representative Mojtaba Fard Fani claimed the title followed by Abdul Aziz Ahmed from Egypt and Muhammad Ali Abdullah of Australia who came second and third. Khalid Sankari from Ivory Coast and Muhammad Taha Hassan from Niger respectively came fourth and fifth. The first edition of an international Quran contest for the visually-impaired also got underway along with the main event in Tehran with Iranian, Turkish and Tunisian participants finishing in first to third places, respectively. Memorization and recitation of verses from the holy Quran are viewed as an art-form, with the annual event attracting more and more enthusiasts. The international Quranic event had brought together participants from different Muslim and non-Muslim countries with the motto of ‘One Book, One Ummah’.