RIYADH, 30 September 2007 — A contestant from Madinah topped the Philippine Embassy’s 6th Holy Qur’an Recitation Contest held on Friday at the mission’s Liwasang Bonifacio multipurpose court in Riyadh.
Shalabie Abdulrahim bested seven other finalists with a score of 93.4 percent and brought home the SR5,000 major prize plus a laptop computer and other goodies, said the embassy in a press statement yesterday.
Placing second was Zainuding Angas Malusay of the Central Region, who got a cash prize of SR3,000 and a laptop.
Suaib Saddala Mistiri of Riyadh was third. He got SR2,000 plus a laptop.
The other finalists — Ali Rangaig Shoaib and Hawari Lintua Baspar of the Eastern Region, Alimoden T. Ampaso of Riyadh, and Ishak Makatindig of Makkah — did not go home empty-handed. Each one got SR1,000 plus home applicances, mobile phones and other consolation prizes.
The board of judges for the contest, headed by King Saud University Prof. Muhammad H. Bakalla, was composed of Sheikh Mohammad Waleed Al-Swaidan, a prominent businessman, and three representatives from the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY).
After the contest, which was a joint effort of the embassy and the Filipino community in the Kingdom, the WAMY delegation presented a token of appreciation to Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor and distributed gifts to the embassy’s Filipino-Muslim personnel.
Among the guests were heads of mission from Brunei Darussalam, Egypt, Pakistan and Malaysia, a minister from Yemen, Saudi government officials including Ambassador Salah Al-Sarhan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aziz A. Al-Subaihin of the Islamic Affairs Ministry, Saudi businessmen and Filipino-Muslim community leaders.