EGYPTIAN MALE QURAN RECITER, PAKISTANI FEMALE RECITER CHAMPIONS AT 52ND INTERNATIONAL TILAWAH

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 (Bernama) -- Egyptian Hani Abdel Aziz Ahmad and Pakistan's Samia Khanan were respectively judged champion in the men and women's category of the 52nd International Quran Reciters Assembly (Tilawah Al-Quran) held at the Putra World Trade Centre, here, tonight.

They each won US$10,000 (about RM31,975) in cash, a trophy, souvenir and certificate of participation which were presented to them by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.
    
Hani scored 91.46 per cent of the marks and Samia, 91.08 per cent.

Also present at the prize-giving ceremony were Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom and his wife Datin Seri Fatmawati Saidin, former Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim and Brunei Darussalam's Religious Affairs Minister Pengiran Datuk Seri Setia Dr Mohammad Pengiran Abdul Rahman. 

Malaysia's male reciter Wan Ainuddin Abdullah and Brunei's female reciter Dayang Nurfaezah Emran were the runners-up in their respective categories, each taking home US$7,000 (RM22,382), a souvenir and certificate of appreciation.
       
Third placed were Abdul Wadoud K. Esmail in the men's category and Monaifah A. Bogabong Alawi in the women's category. Both are from the Philippines and they each won US$4,000 (RM12,790), a souvenir and certificate of appreciation.
   
The other participants each received the consolation prize of US$1,500 (RM4,796), a souvenir and a certificate.

The theme for the eight-day tilawah from July 27 with 76 participants from 47 countries, was "Strengthening Brotherhood, Empowering the Ummah (Community).Last year, there were 66 participants from 43 countries.

Four countries which took part in the tilawah for the first time this year were Kazakhstan, Surinam, Zambia and Djibouti.

Hani said he was surprised with his win and regarded it as a gift from Allah, while Samia too said she did not expect to win after taking part in the assembly a number of times before.

Malaysia's Wan Ainuddin, who is an imam at the Section 14 mosque in Petaling Jaya, said his runner-up position was very meaningful to him as it was his first participation in the international tilawah.

Apart from that, he said, he was having a bad cold and fever for two days before the final tonight.

The reciters were judged by a panel of 16 judges chaired by the director-general of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz.
   
-- BERNAMA