President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has stated that, as an Islamic nation, the Maldives must assign the foremost priority to encouraging and promoting the recitation of the Holy Quran and to paving every avenue for advancement in this field.
The President delivered these remarks this morning during his address at the closing ceremony of the 37th National Quran Recitation Competition, held in the Islamic Centre's conference hall.
In his address, the President highlighted the Government's decision to place special priority on the competition, affirming its purpose in nurturing and cultivating the nation's youth. He expressed his hope that, in the years to come, the event will see widespread participation from students across the Maldives, who will prepare with great determination and excellence to contend for the various awards.
The President also conveyed his heartfelt wish for the nation's children to regard reciting the Holy Quran as a matter of great pride and to foster a deep-seated desire to do so. He further called upon the entire community to unite and work together to achieve this noble objective.
Reflecting the President's special emphasis on reciting, memorising, spreading the knowledge of, and ultimately, serving the Holy Quran, significant changes have been introduced to the National Quran Recitation Competition. In line with a presidential decision made last month, special awards for the overall first-place winner have been established, and the prizes for other positions have been enhanced. Consequently, the competition has now been elevated to become the most prestigious event of its kind in the Maldives, receiving the highest priority from the Government.
The recitation rounds of the 37th National Quran Recitation Competition, officially inaugurated on 18 September, took place from 19 to 26 September across two floors of the King Salman Mosque. The competition saw a total of 1,023 participants from 119 institutions, including atoll and city councils, schools, clubs, associations, Quran classes, colleges, and universities.
At the concluding ceremony, the President was joined by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed, Vice President Uz Hussain Mohamed Latheef, and members of the Cabinet, where they presented awards, certificates, and plaques to the competition's highest-achieving participants.
