RIYADH, 29 April — More than 60 troops from 17 Muslim countries are taking part in the first international competition for Prince Sultan Prize for Memorization of the Holy Qur’an starting here today, according to Faisal Bali, director general of religious affairs at the armed forces.
The prize, exclusively for military personnel from Muslim countries, was set up recently and is sponsored by Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation. The idea was brought up by Prince Sultan when he was honoring winners of a Holy Qur’an contest last year.
The competition is aimed at encouraging Muslim soldiers to memorize the Holy Book in order to build a greater attachment to religious principles, Bali said. He added that the Qur’an had always been a source of strength for Muslim soldiers in peace and war.
Soldiers from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Morocco, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Chad, Niger and Senegal will join their counterparts from Saudi Arabia in the 10-day competition.
Twenty prizes, in four categories, with a total value of SR642,000 are up for grabs, Bali said.
