Taghribnews (TNA) - Sydney academy host “Unity” Qur’an competition

Sydney Islamic academy has scheduled to host Shia and Sunni reciters in the first Qur’an competition to be held in eastern Australia.

This is according to Mustafa Ashrafi, head of Samen Al-Aeme Imam Reza Quran Academy in Sydney, the organizer of the competition which will take place on September 15-17.

Lauding the contest as the “first of its kind” in eastern Australia, he said that it will be held in men’s and women’s categories.

Ashrafi highlighted that both Shia and Sunni qaris are welcomed in the competition as it is being organized under the slogan of “unity.”

Asked about the history of the academy, he said that it informally started its activities in 2002 in Sydney by holding Quranic circles and ceremonies for reading supplications.

The academy was formally established in 2021 and it hosts between 150 and 300 people for programs such as tawassul supplication, he said.

Furthermore, the center annually hosts special Quranic programs during Ramadan nights which have been “very successful,” Ashrafi added.

Asked about the challenges that may impede Quranic activities in Australia, the qari named “lack of international Quran masters” as the main problem in this country.

He also expressed his regret that some Islamic centers in the country do not pay enough attention to the issue of Quran learning courses.