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A contest for young girls and ladies, devoted to Koran recitation, was hosted by the Islamic Cultural Center “Al-Isra” located in Vinnitsa (Ukraine), on Saturday, April 13, 2013. Twenty female competitors from Vinnitsa, Kiev, Lvov and Odessa came to match strength with friends and tutors of tajwid (Koran recitation). Once the contest was over, they all went to discover beauties of Vinnitsa, the central city of an administrative region of our common Motherland.

“Study of the Koran must not end once a contest is over and prizes are awarded”

Mr.Deya Abu-Isneyna, “Al-Isra” director, addressed participants before the contest and reminded one important thing: Unfortunately, sometimes it occurs that a female Muslim who knows (by memory) texts of many songs knows (by memory) only several tiny surahs; a male Muslim knows much about lives of celebrities, football players, policy men, but knows nothing from the biography of the Prophet (may be peace and blessings upon him) and his companions. I do not mean to say that one need not know what is happening in the world, because we should not be dissociated from the contemporary life and be misguided about what is happening around, but one should be able to find the time and the energy for regular learning something from the Koran. Let it be a little bit, but on regular basis”.

Summing up, he says: “It must be born in mind that learning the Koran must not end once a contest is over and prizes are awarded. I call you to learn the Koran with comprehension and implement in practice whatever you read and memorize. So that people, when looking at you, could see that a female Muslim is not an inert follower of the parents’ or husband’s will; that a female Muslim practices her religion consciously, with understanding and striving to enhance the knowledge and competence. My sincere wish to all of us is that the Koran should be our ethos”.

Each participant could chose the appropriate level of difficulty

The participants competed in five categories, with two prize places in each. The Surah “Council” (No 42) was recited by female competitors in the two nominations: the ones who know the whole Koran by memory, and the ones who are not hafizes. Of the hafizes, the winner was Nisrin Al-Kasis from Odessa, and the second place was taken by Sabbath Salim, a resident of Vinnitsa. Of the competitors who are not hafizes, prize winners were Anisa Afsel (first place) and Takwa Abu-r-Rubb (second place); both are Kiev residents.

A little lower level of difficulty was in the nomination “Surah ‘The Pen’” (No 68). The well earned winner was Yekaterina Sapryga representing the host city (Vinnitsa), and the second place was taken by Samr Al-Behesi, a guest from Kiev.  

In the category “Suhar ‘Resurrection’” (No 75), the first place was taken by Tatyana Sertap from Kiev, the second place – by Amel Kasem from Odessa.

The winner in the last category, “Surah ‘Bursting Apart’” (No 82), was Lubov’ Ocheretna, and the second place was taken by Alexandra Milstein who was the youngest participant.