Mohamed Fahmi Abdul Sayyed Asfour, who served as a member of the panel of judges in the semi-final round of the 6^th edition of the contest, told IQNA that adding a category of memorization of Hadiths and participation of women and seminary students can further enrich the contest.

He added that there is no ban on participation of women in the Quranic event and that a panel of judges comprising women Quran expert can be formed to judge in the women’s section.

Asfour further said the level of contenders in the semi-finals, which was held in a form of a phone-in competition, was good, describing the participation of Quran reciters and memorizers various world countries as positive.

He went on to say that the purpose behind such Quranic events is not just holding a contest and handing out prizes but helping the participants to improve their Quranic skills.

The preliminary and semifinal rounds of the 6th International Quran Competition for Muslim Students were held earlier this year.

In the first stage, as many as 203 university students from 73 countries sent recorded files of their Quran recitations to the secretariat of the contest.

Some 100 of them made it to the semi-finals and from among them 40 students who scored the highest points were selected to take part in the final stage.

The final is slated for April 26-29 in the holy city of Mashhad, northeast Iran.

The Iranian Academics’ Quranic Activities Organization, affiliated to the Iranian Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), has organized the competition biannually since 2006 with the aim of promoting unity and cooperation among Muslim world students and elevating the level of Quranic activities.

http://iqna.ir/fa/news/3705556