All-women Quran contest begins in Dubai

17-year-old Rifdha Mohamed Rasheed, Maldives

With a record 72 full Quran female memorisers worldwide, the first edition of the Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Int'l Holy Quran Competition started on Sunday morning at the Dubai Cultural and Scientific Association, Al Mamzar.
Six young contestants from Malaysia, Myanmar, Morocco, Maldives, Jordan, and Senegal, sat the final tests in public on the first day of the global competition, which is a major branch of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA).
The 72 participants, including 19 Arabs, 15 Europeans, three Latin Americans, 23 Africans, and 12 Asians, are all set to be one of the top winners and go home with the prizes at the Dh7.5m competition.
Ibrahim Mohammed Bu Melha, Adviser to the Ruler of Dubai for Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs and Head of the Organising Committee, said the competition, which happens between November 6 and 18, is sponsored by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Shaikh Sajjad Mustafa Hassan, head of the arbitration committee, told Khaleej Times that contestants' score shall be decided on their tight memorisation, perfect recitation, and tuneful performance.
"Memorisation will be marked by 70 out of 100, while 25 marks will be given for observing Tajweed or art of recitation, and five for beautiful voices."
Half mark shall be deducted from the contestant if alerted once, he added. "Failing to recall the right verse for seven seconds means a loss of one mark, whereas another half mark will be deducted in case of incorrect pronunciation or recitation."
- ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com