The lad, who is the only son of a Dhaka-based imam, received Dh250,000 in cash

  DUBAI – Thirteen-year-old Mohammad Tarqul Islam of Bangladesh yesterday beat 89 other contenders from around the world to emerge as victor at the 21st Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA) held at Al Mamzar's Dubai Cultural and Scientific Auditorium. Islam received a cash prize of Dh250,000. Dubai Deputy Ruler Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum handed the prize to Islam, who is the only son of an imam in Dhaka. Shaikh Ahmad also awarded the prizes to the other winners of the yearly contest. Aside from the main prize, Islam also won a prize for placing fourth in the "beautiful voice" category of the competition. Islam said it was his first time to participate in an international competition and he couldn't believe it when he was announced as the winner. He said he will study the Quran further and pursue a degree at the Islamic University of Madina. The second placer was 20-year-old American contestant Huzaifah Siddiqui, who got Dh200,000 as cash prize. Siddiqui also topped the best voice category. The third placers were Modou Jobe from Gambia, Abdul Aziz Al Obaidan from Saudi Arabia and Rachid Allani of Tunisia. They shared the cash prize of Dh150,000. Meanwhile, King Salman of Saudi Arabia was honored as Islamic Personality of the Year during the DIHQA awarding ceremonies. Shaikh Saleh Bin Abdul Aziz Al Shaikh, who is the Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, received the award on King Salman's behalf. GAC/Expat 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