Seven Countries Take Part in International Qur’an Reciters Assembly For First Time

KUALA LUMPUR - Seven nations will compete for the first time in the International Quran Reciters' Assembly and Quran Memorising Assembly (MTHQA) which will be held at the Putra World Trade Centre from May 2 to 7.

Director-General of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) Datuk Othman Mustapha said these countries were Australia, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Belgium, Spain, United Kingdom and Sweden which will each be represented by a male and female reciter.

Sixty-nine nations will compete in the MTHQA this year.

"Of the competing nations, 21 have been invited to participate in tilawah (reciter) while 22 more in hafazan (memorising) categories, and 26 for the open category and can choose to participate in either," he said in a press conference on the MTHQA here Monday.

He said in the tilawah category, Malaysia will be represented by the winners of the 59th National Quran Recital Assembly, Wan Ainuddin Hilmi Abdullah from Kelantan and Nor Azrah Ayob from Johor.

In the memorising category, Malaysia will be represented by winners of the 37th National Quran Memorising Assembly, Mohamad Omar Mansu from Selangor and Farihah Zulkifli from Federal Territory.

Othman said the reciters of the assembly, with its theme of "Unity the Pulse of National Transformation" will be assessed by 15 professional judges including from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, Jordan, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand and Malaysia.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah is scheduled to attend the opening and closing ceremonies.

He said the winners in the recital category will win gold bars worth RM70,000 from Yayasan Pembangunan Ekonomi Islam Malaysia (YaPEIM), a trophy and RM40,000 in cash.

In the memorising category, the winners will take home gold bars worth RM20,000 from YaPEIM, a trophy, certificate of participation and cash of RM20,000, he said.