Hawzah News Agency (Qom, Iran) - This was announced by Hossein Assadi, secretary of the Iranian Council for Development and Coordination of Seminarians’ Quranic Activities, speaking at a press conference in the holy city of Qom on Tuesday.

He said the internationally-known Quran experts are from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Algeria, Pakistan, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt.

The second international Quran contest for seminary students is slated for April 21-24 in Qom.

Assadi said 71 contenders from 41 countries, including Indonesia, Lebanon, the US, Mauritania, Nigeria, Niger, Yemen, Chad, Russia, Yemen, Turkey, Uganda, and Tajikistan, will take part in the contest.

While the first edition, held also in Qom last year, had two categories; namely Quran recitation and memorization along with interpretation, this year’s edition will have an additional category of Quranic speech, he noted.

According to another official speaking at the press conference, Ayatollah Ali Reza Aarafi, director of Iran’s Seminary Schools, will officiate the opening ceremony on April 21 and the closing ceremony on April 24 will be addressed by grand source of emulation Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani.

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