Int’l Quran Competition Finals Get Underway in Algiers

IQNA – The final round of Algeria’s 20th international Quran competition kicked off in a ceremony in the capital Algiers on Tuesday.

Awqaf Minister Youcef Belmehdi, Interior Minister Brahim Merad, and a number of other officials as well as foreign diplomats were present at the inauguration ceremony.

In a speech, Belmehdi said the competition is being held in the month of Rajab to commemorate the event of Isra and Mi’raj (the Prophet’s (PBUH) Night Ascension) and in line with the celebrations marking the seventieth anniversary of Algeria’s liberation revolution.

He added that the Algerian president’s oversight of various religious programs demonstrates his commitment to promoting Islamic and Quranic teachings and preserving national identity.

The organization of the twentieth edition of the international Quran competitions reflects this commitment, he stated.

Belmehdi noted that in this competition, 900 Quran memorizers have competed since previous years, with scholars and reciters from 30 countries present to oversee the judging committees.

The competition will run until Saturday, January 25, and the top winners will be awarded at the closing ceremony on January 26.

In the preliminary stage of this competition, representatives from 46 Arab and Islamic countries participated, and 20 of them, in the men and women sections, advanced to the final stage.

Among the finalists is Iranian memorizer of the entire Quran Ali Gholamazad.

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