Expert Urges Establishment of Iran Int’l Quran Competition Secretariat in Mashhad

IQNA – An Iranian Quran expert called for the establishment of a permanent secretariat of Iran’s International Holy Quran Competition in the holy city of Mashhad.

Abbas Salimi, who served as the host in the 41st edition of the contest in Mashhad last month, told IQNA in an interview that the permanent secretariat should be founded at the Astan (custodianship) of Imam Reza (AS) holy shrine.

“This secretariat should be under the golden dome of Imam Reza (AS) holy shrine. Why? To tell guests that we are honored by the presence of an Imam who, according to authentic narrations, completed the Quran every three days,” he said.

“Despite bearing (huge) responsibilities, this great Imam recited 10 parts of the Holy Quran every day. This serves as a message for all Muslims and especially for those who are leaders and think they are too busy to connect with and engage with the Quran. Therefore, Mashhad has the capacity to continue hosting with the cooperation of the Awqaf and Charity Affairs Organization and the Astan Quds Razavi.”

Asked about calls for founding a confederation of international Quran competitions, the veteran Quran activist said this issue is currently in the brainstorming stage.

“As far as I know, this proposal was put forward by one of the esteemed and veteran Quranic scholars, and a brief discussion on this matter was held by Mohammad Reza Pourmoin. The head of the Awqaf Organization has no objections to it. We have the capacity in the Islamic Republic of Iran to establish this confederation or a centralized institution.”

Salimi added, “Our goal in the Islamic Republic of Iran is not to have a permanent organization named after Iran. We want to use this (confederation) to enhance the exchange of ideas, opinions, and experiences among countries that hold international competitions.

“Imam Ali (AS) says that through the exchange of ideas, the best path to righteousness is created. If we can elevate these competitions beyond their current state and establish this confederation, secretariat, or whatever name it may have, and have it centralized every few years in one of the countries hosting international competitions, it would be excellent as it would prevent anyone from feeling monopolistic tendencies in this regard.”

Salimi also said that one of the functions of such a confederation could be the unification of international Quran competition regulations.

“The reason we advocate for establishing a confederation is exactly this. If there is an exchange of ideas and interaction among countries, a unified set of regulations will be developed, and these issues (differences in scoring and evaluating contestants) will certainly be resolved. Therefore, the way forward is for the Quranic Affairs Center to send this (proposal for establishment of a confederation of international Quran competitions) promptly.”

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