Hawzah News Agency (Cairo, Egypt) - This is according to the head of the union, Sheikh Muhammad Mahmoud Tiblawi, speaking to al-Nahar TV network.

"I myself evaluated the recitation of one of these women and also established a committee for the assessment," he said.

"The woman recited verses from the Quran and received a permission for Quran recitation from me," Tiblawi added.

As for Quran recitation by women in funerals and ceremonies, he said it is not a new phenomenon, noting that in the past two women Qaris recited the Holy Book in Egypt's Quran Radio.

The North African country is known for the prominent Qaris it has introduced to the Muslim world.