European Moroccans Leave France and Spain to Compete in Otr Elkalam in Riyadh

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, March 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of the international Quran and adhan competition presented by the Otr Elkalam show, one of the initiatives of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, the third episode of the show witnessed the rivalry between European Moroccans in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with humbling recitations of the Holy Quran that reflect meanings and rely on extreme accuracy. In the recitation track, Ahmed Al-Hasnawi from France competed with Mohammed Al-Habti, who lives in Spain, where he leads the prayers in a mosque and teaches children the Holy Quran.

Al-Habti, with his voice consistent with the Quranic expressions and verses, qualified for the next stage at the expense of his rival Al-Hasnawi, who had participated in several local and international Quran competitions in many countries, including Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.

In the adhan track, Rayan Hawsawi, a Nigerian who resides in Makkah, participated in the competition. Hawsawi has a good voice and imitates the muazzins of the Grand Mosque in Makkah skillfully. He, like other contestants, dreams of reaching the final of the competition. The electrical engineer Tariq Deeb from Syria also participated in the same track. Deeb started raising adhan in some mosques in his country from a young age. However, he lost to his Nigerian rival, Hawsawi, who qualified for the next stage of the competition.

Otr Elkalam is one of the prominent television shows in the holy month of Ramadan. It combines the competitions of reciting the Holy Quran and raising adhan. It also includes a jury composed of an elite specialized in recitation and maqamat (musical structures).

The competition episodes can be viewed on the show's YouTube channel through the link:

https://www.youtube.com/@OtrElkalam.

It is broadcast daily on MBC1 and the Shahid digital platform. The competition is the largest in terms of the number of contestants and prizes that total $3.3 million, which is the largest financial prize in the history of international competitions of this kind. The first-place winner in the Quran recitation track gets $ 800,000, while the first-place winner in the adhan track gets $534,000.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2040541/Quran_and_Adhan_Competition.jpg