Rabat – Ilias El Mehyaoui, a young Moroccan man, won on Monday the first place of the Quran Recitation International Competition in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
More than 50 participants from different Islamic countries took part in the competition.
“I thank God for this victory. This coronation is not surprising for Moroccans who are used to shining and distinguishing themselves in international competitions,” said Ilias El Mehyaoui in a statement to Morocco’s state agency MAP.
El Mehyaoui said he was honored to have won first place, adding, “I offer this victory to King Mohammed VI and to the Moroccan people. I also dedicate this to my family, parents and sheikhs who taught me.”
Other contestants from Jordan and Lebanon won in the reading-recitation and Al-Adhan (call to prayer) categories, respectively.
According to Ethiopia’s news agency FBC, one of the aims of the contest is to promote Ethiopia’s especial place in the Islamic Religion as the first sanctuary outside Mecca for companions of Prophet Mohammed.
Born in Oujda, the young Moroccan previously won third place in the Quran recitation category at Malaysia’s international Quran competition in 2019.
Several Moroccan Quran reciters have over the past years shown outstanding performance in renowned competitions worldwide.
Last month, Mohamed Qastali won the second prize in the fifth edition of the Katara Quran Recitation competition in Qatar, outperforming over 900 contestants from 48 countries, including 32 non-Arab countries.
Three Moroccans also claimed the top three places at the UAE’s “Inking for the Noble Qur’an and its Sciences 2022” competition in April, right after achieving leading positions at the Bahrain International Competition for Reciting the Holy Qur’an through the Internet (Global Reciter).
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