JEDDAH: In the fourth episode of one of the world’s leading Qur’an recitation and call to prayer competitions, the British and Bahraini contestants garnered the jury’s vote and went through to the quarterfinals.
The Otr Elkalam’s or Perfume of Speech’s category for recitation saw Britain’s Mohammed Ayoub Asif and Bahrain’s Abdullah Mohammed Mujahid take the two top spots, with Egypt’s Mahmoud Al-Sayed in third and not making it through to the next round.
Mujahid is one of the most accomplished reciters of the holy book, having won several awards including in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Morocco.
The competition organized by the General Entertainment Authority to showcase global talent aired on the first day of Ramadan.
It has attracted over 40,000 international contestants from 80 countries.
Only 36 contestants made it through to the finals taking place in Riyadh for prizes worth SR12 million ($3.2 million).
The contestants include judges from various other such contests, including Syria’s Mutasim Billah Al-Asali and Egypt’s Sheikh Mohammed Al-Awadi, who currently teaches about 400 students to memorize the Qur’an.
