DUSHANBE, May 15, 2013, Asia-Plus  -- An awards ceremony was held in Dushanbe for the winners of the Republican Qur’an Reciting Contest that was held here on May 10-11.

More than 100 reciters under the age of 25 from all regions of the country participated in the contest that took place at the Tajik Islamic Institute.

“The competition was organized by the Tajik Islamic Institute in cooperation with the Holy Qur’an Memorization Association (Saudi Arabia) and Islamic scholars from Tajikistan and Saudi Arabia judged the Republican Qur’an Reciting Contest in Dushanbe,” an official source at the Tajik Islamic Institute told Asia-Plus in an interview.

The contest-opening ceremony was attended by the Head of the of the Department for Observing National Traditions and Rituals within President’s Office, Odinahso Murodov, the Deputy Head of the Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA) under the Government of Tajikistan, Mavlon Mukhtorov, the head of the Council of Ulemo (Islamic council that issues fatwas and religious guidance to Islamic religious organizations), Saidmukkaram Abduqodirzoda, the Chancellor of the Tajik Islamic Institute, Sulaymon Davlatov, the representative of the Holy Qur’an Memorization Association, Dr. Alawi Ahmed Mohammad Al-Yafi, as well as representatives of a number of diplomatic missions accredited in Tajikistan.

The contest was reportedly conducted in five categories: 1) Qur’an recitation and the orthoepic rules; 2) recitation of Qur’an with interpretation of its three parts; 3) interpretation of Qur’an with text from Imam Nabawi''s Forty Hadith; 4) full recitation of the Holy Qur’an; and 5) recitation of the Holy Qur’an in 20 parts.

The jury took the following decision:

In the category “Qur’an recitation and the orthoepic rules”: 1st place – Muhammadayub Abdurahim (US$1,000); 2nd place – Lutfullo Kholiqov (US$800); 3rd place – Saidmerojiddin Aliyev (US$700).

In the category “Recitation of Qur’an with interpretation of its three parts”: 1st place – Abdulbotin Sharipov (US$800); 2nd place – Komron Sharipov (US$600); 3rd place – Abdurauf Abdulmumin (US$500).

In the category “Interpretation of Qur’an with text from Imam Nabawi''s Forty Hadith”: 1st place – Abdulkarim Akbarov (US$600); 2nd place – Muhammadi Muhammadiyev (US$500); 3rd place – Mahmoudjon Abdullozoda (US$400).

In the category “Full recitation of the Holy Qur’an”: 1st place – Abdulbosit Homidov (US$500); 2nd place – Ilohomiddin Ibodulloh (US$400); 3rd place -- Hisomiddin Homidov (US$300).

In the category “Recitation of the Holy Qur’an in 20 parts”: 1st place – Rukniddin Sudurov (US$400); 2nd place – Jaoliddin Saidzoda (US$300); 3rd place – Muhammadiqbol Bouriyev (US$200).

We will recall that Dushanbe last year hosted the Qur’an reciting competition among Muslims from the CIS nations.  Forty-two reciters, aged 6 to 25, participated in that contest and Tajik reciters took nine of fifteen prize-wining places.

Besides, two representatives of Tajikistan were among the top ten winners of the 19th International Qur’an Recitation Contest that took place in Cairo, Egypt in 2011.  More than 100 representatives from Asia, Europe and Africa participated in the 19th edition of Egypt’s International Qur’an Recitation Competition in Cairo.

In 2011, Tajik Qur’an reciters also participated in the 26th International Qur’an Recitation Competition that took place in Tehran.  The best Qur’an reciters aged 18 to 40 from 40 Muslim countries of the world participated in the Qur’an recitation competition in the Islamic Republic of Iran.