REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Indonesia sends a 13-year-old hafiz, Mohammad Muchtar Dzulhilmi, to attend the 16th Session Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQ) 2012 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Competing with other 88 countries, Dzulhimi was accompanied by Indonesian Minister for Religious Affairs Jamaludin Noor. Hafiz is a person who memorizes Quran.
Dzulhilmi is successfully passed the first selection and reaches the final. He is now competing against hafiz from Spain, Algeria, Qatar, Sudan, Congo, Barbados, and Papua New Guinea. Dzulhilmi performed well in the last selection. He made a small mistake from three Sura proposed by judge. The judges are from Egypt, India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.
To reach final, the participants must pass the first test conducted by judges from UAE. Those who passed can enter final in Dubai Chamber of Commerce.
Indonesian Ambassador to UAE, Salman Al Farisi, said that the competition was beneficial for Islamic development. For Indonesia, the competition becomes an event to hone the skill in memorizing AlQuran. The Ambassador said that he hoped Indonesia could win the competition.
