KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia claimed both the men’s and women’s titles in the Tilawah (recitation) categories at the 65th International Al-Quran Recitation and Memorisation Assembly (MTHQA) tonight.
Aiman Ridhwan Mohamad Ramlan won the men’s qari (male reciter) title with a score of 97.01 per cent, edging out Indonesia’s Ahmad Azroi Hasibuan (95.13 per cent) and Turkey’s Muhammed Yahya Yildizhan (93.88 per cent), who placed second and third respectively.
In the qariah (female reciter) category, Wan Sofea Aini Wan Mohd Zahidi took first place with 95.88 per cent, ahead of Morocco’s Fatima Zahra Assafar (89.38 per cent) and Indonesia’s Nur Rahmiyatin Adhya (87.59 per cent).
Prizes were presented by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the closing ceremony at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur.
Also present were Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, and Imam of the Al-Nabawi Mosque in Madinah Sheikh Dr Salah Muhammad Al-Budair.
In the men’s memorisation category, Germany’s Usamah Barghouth topped the field with 98.25 per cent, followed by Syria’s Mohammad Abdullah Masasati (98.01 per cent) and India’s Mohammad Jamil Farhat (97.25 per cent).
Syria’s Tasneem Arian Omar won the women’s memorisation category with 97.5 per cent, with Malaysia’s Putri Auni Khadijah second (96.75 per cent) and Libya’s Najway Ali Zaydan Alkourbu third (95.51 per cent).
Champions in both Tilawah and Memorisation categories received RM40,000 in cash, jewellery sponsored by the Malaysian Islamic Economic Development Foundation (YaPEIM), additional prizes and certificates of appreciation.
The week-long event, held from Aug 2 to 9 under the theme ‘Membangun Ummah MADANI’ (Developing a MADANI Ummah), featured 71 contestants from 49 countries. – Bernama
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