Kyrgyzstan Stages Quranic Contest for CIS Countries (+Photos)
Titled “Spring of Quran”, the contest was held at Bishkek’s Central Mosque of Imam Sarakhsi with participation of qaris from several countries.
The title of the event was won by a qari from the host country. A representative of Republic of Dagestan ranked second while qaris from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan claimed the joint rank of third.
The Kyrgyz office, in a statement on the competitions, pointed to a Hadith by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) which reads “The best among you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it.” It also noted that special seats for women have also been allocated in the event.
Kyrgystan, in late September this year, held a national Quran competition under the name of “Spring of Quran” where memorizers participated in the categories of 30, 20, and 10 Juzes (parts).
Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country with mountainous terrain in Central Asia. It is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west and southwest, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east. Its capital and largest city is Bishkek. Muslims constitute 80% of the population of the country.
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was founded in 1991 after dissolution of the Soviet Union by Russia and 11 other post-soviet republics. With an estimated population of 239,796,010, the CIS encourages cooperation in economic, political and military affairs and has certain powers relating to the coordination of trade, finance, lawmaking, and security.
