A 17-year-old Kenyan girl was on Monday, July 10, crowned winner of the prestigious American International Tibyan Quran competition .
Muna Abdifatah emerged top at the event held in the US after she beat her competitors in the Quran recitation competition and walked away with a cash prize of $15,000 (Ksh2,118,000).
“To our first-place from the country of Kenya: Muna Abdifatah, with a prize money of $15,000 (Ksh2,118,000),” the centre announced while handing Abdifatah the award.
The form two girl schools at Mus’ab Educational and Islamic Centre in Eastleigh, Nairobi. She attracted the attention of both the judges and the audience with her mastery of the Quran.
The event organised by Tybian Center for Sciences, was held in Minnesota in the US. The annual contest is geared towards bringing thousands of students from different countries to prove their prowess in reciting sections of the Quran.
The young girl was accompanied by her teacher-cum-director of Musa’b Education Center Jimale Sheikh and International Quran scholar Abdirashid Ali Suffi.
The first-place winner in the men’s category was Omar Afouf from France who claimed a cash prize of $15,000 (Ksh2,118,000).
Tybian Centre lauded the winners and passed regard to the judges for making the event competitive.
“Congratulations to our winners, and a heartfelt thank you to all the participants, judges, and our supportive community,” the centre remarked.
This is not the first time Abdifatah has excelled in international Quran recital competitions. In a similar competition held in Dubai in October 2022, she emerged eighth globally from a pool of 300 competitors.
Musa’b Education Center was started in 1999 as a madrasa before formal education was introduced in 2012. The school has been participating in Quran competitions held within and outside the country.
The centre has previously competed in the finals of global Quran competitions and managed to rank first and eighth in the international Quran competition held in Rwanda and Dubai respectively.
