Traditionally, during Ramadan in Crimea takes place competition of the Quran readers where compete tens of Moslems basically from Crimea. However, this year its organizers decided to expand the geography of the participants and invited to the competition the Quran readers from the whole Ukraine. Due to this in September, 29 (17 Ramadan) in Simferopol took place the first in Crimea Ukraine-wide competition of the Quran readers which gathered about 40 participants including the ones from Lvov, Lugansk, Kiev and Donetsk. The youngest of them is 11 years old, and the eldest - 46.

This competition organized by the Spiritual administration of Moslems of Crimea together with the Ukrainian-wide association “Alraid” took place in the building of Simferopol Islamic cultural center. According to the plan of its organizers, it aims at popularization of the Holy Scripture and its reading by heart with tajweed (rules of reading of the Quran) among Moslems of Ukraine.

The competition passed at eight levels depending on the size of the learnt original text of the Quran in Arabic. The judge began the citation and the readers should have continued it. On the most difficult (eights) level compete only those who know the whole Quran by heart. In the present year on this level competed three participants from Crimea.

The jury of the competition included the principal of the School of Hafiths in Crimea Seyran Arifov, he representative of the Turkish religious community in Crimea the mullah Yusuf, the imam-khatyb of the Kiev Islamic cultural center sheikh Imad Abu-Rrub, the mufti of Crimea Amir Ali Ablaev and the chairman of the Crimean branch of "Alraid" Muhammad Taha.

According to the judges the present competition differs from the previous ones with higher preparation of the participants what made the judges toil over the readers' estimation. It is remarkable that in this year in the competition participated more women than in the previous ones, what according to the organizers was especially pleasant.

Moral and spiritual support of the participants was provided by their friends and relatives who came to the competition. It was also visited by journalists of local and national mass-media who then have widely illuminated this important event in life of Moslems of Ukraine.

According to the results of the competition the following participants were recognized as the best Quran readers. The 1-st level (half of Juz Amma): Suleyman Samediyev, Albina Diktereva, Shawkat Kurtimirov. The 2-nd level (Juz Amma): Arza Arifova, Mudafir Ablyakimova, Almaz Zitulyaeva. The 3-rd level (2 Juz): Anvar Muslimdinov, Said Omar Hanbekov, Abdulla Kulniyak. The 4-th level (3 Juz): Abdulhamid Yahyaev, Osman Ibrahimov, Muhammad Isa. The 5-th level (5 Juz): Muhiddin Ibrahimov, Amir Kurtnizurov, Linur Khalidov. The 6-th level (10 Juz): Alimdar Ablakimov, Ali Maryi, Anvar Khalidov. The 7-th level (half of the Quran): Marlin Bikirov. The 8-th Level (the whole Quran): Ruslan Ibrahimov, Murat Suleymanov, Muhammad Mamutov.

All participants of the competition were awarded with costly gifts, and prize-winners received monetary gifts in the size from 200 up to 4 thousand hrivynas.

Informational Department of "Alraid"