The Ghanaian Minaret

Accra – Ghana has failed to make a good showing at the just-ended 2023 edition of the Dubai International Quran Competition after its representative failed to go past the first round of the contest.

Ghana was represented by 23-year-old Abass Alhassan Mohammed who competed with participants from over 65 countries to showcase their gift of memorising the Holy Qur’an at the 26th edition of the competition.

A 14-year-old Bangladeshi, Ahmed Saleh Takrim emerged as the eventual winner of the competition with Abbas Hadi Umar from Ethiopia being the first runner-up and Saudi Arabia’s Khalid Sulaiman Salih Al-Barkani emerging as the second runner-up.

The fourth place was jointly earned by Nourou Dini from Cameroon and Fatwa Hadis Maulana of Indonesia, while Abdul Alim Abdur Rahim Muhammad Haji of Kenya secured the sixth position.

The abismal showing of the country in recent times at international Quran competitions has raised concerns over the processes of selecting qualified individuals to represent the country on a global stage.

Usman Abdallah, a Hafiz and Founder of Ahlul Quran Centre, a Quran memorisation circle in Nima said in an interview that it was high time much attention was paid to the calibre of persons who represented the country on the international scene.

He said it was unfortunate that prevailing situations in the country allowed for individuals or groups to hand-pick persons based on parochial interest without necessarily availing the opportunity to other qualified candidates to audition and compete for slots.

He observed that there had been instances where winners of local competitions have been replaced on their blind side and prevented from participating in international Quran contests.

“Before you know there is someone out there representing Ghana. How the person was selected remains a mystery,” he said.

He called on Islamic non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to be guided by selflessness for Islam and patriotism towards the country when selecting individuals to represent the country.

“If there is a representative that has gone through all the process, very confident and qualified, then you can be assured that the name of Ghana will go high, and we will all be happy just like it happens with the world cup,” he said.