Quran Competition Held in Japan
Titled ‘All Japan Quran Competition’, it was the 17th edition of the annual contest, held at the Arabic-Islamic Institute in Hiroo, Tokyo, on December 30-31.
The Japan Islamic Trust organized the event in cooperation with the International Organization for Quran Memorization.
There were two age groups of teenagers and adults, competing in two separate sections for men and women.
The categories of the contest included memorization of the entire Quran, memorization of 5, 2, 1, and half a Juz (part) of the Holy Book, and most beautiful recitation.
Director of the Arabic-Islamic Institute Nassir al-Naeem, director of Japan Islamic Waqf Sheikh Aqil Sediqi and number of other Japanese Muslim figures attended the closing ceremony of the competition.
Winners of top ranks in each category were awarded an Umrah Hajj pilgrimage package.
Shinto and Buddhism are the predominant religions of Japan.
The country’s Muslim population is estimated to be around 70,000 and the Japan Muslim Association puts the number of native Japanese Muslims in the country at around 10,000.
