Preacher of the Nation 2015 Competition Wraps Up Preliminary Rounds
Held as part of the 14th Dubai Ramadan Forum, organized by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, the Preacher of the Nation 2015 competition hosted its second preliminaries last weekend (22-23 May), following the selection of 28 participants who qualified at the end of the first round that concluded at the beginning of the month. The competition is taking place as part of the activities surrounding the ‘Ramadan in Dubai’ campaign.
Mohammed Al Hashemi, Head of the Forum’s organizing committee said, "The Preacher of the Nation competition features two categories, including religious sermon in Arabic and English and classical Arabic poetry recitation. We have introduced a new element this year as part of the evaluations wherein the organizing committee will share constructive feedback with the participants’ parents – highlighting their strengths and weaknesses after they deliver their presentations before the jury. This will play a significant role in helping students improve their performance in the future.”
He added: "Additionally, this year we also filmed the contestants during their sermon presentations and sent the video clip to their parents via e-mail with the jury’s comments so parents can closely monitor the performance of their children to help them prepare better by enhancing and improvising their skills using the jury’s valuable feedback. This is the first time we are offering this element as part of the competition.” Speaking about the assessment criteria that will be taken into account during the selection of the finalists, Al Hashemi said: "The criteria includes student’s overall performance, subject of the sermon, language skills and body language and eye-contact with the audience. 22 is the minimum number of points needed to qualify as a finalist and the maximum achievable score is 30. The number of finalists might be increased to 12 because this year, we have a line-up of some extremely brilliant contenders and we want to give them this opportunity to showcase their talents.”
Asian national Abdel Fattah Mohammed, accompanied by his father Mohammed, is contender in the category of religious sermon in Arabic. "The competition is quite strong and all the participants have their own unique abilities. I am very happy that my son is participating in this contest and I would like to thank the organizers for offering this platform that gives talented students the chance to showcase their skills while contributing to the development of their personalities. As a non-Arab, my son will face the challenge of competing with native Arabic speakers but I am encouraging him to deliver his best,” said Mohammed.
The first stage of the competition featured 76 students from various public and private schools in the UAE – who were screened based on their ability to present Arabic and English religious sermons and recite Arabic poems. The esteemed jury who selected the 28 participants comprised of Sheikh Ahmed Abu Saud, Senior Preacher at the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities in Dubai; Mr. Bader Jumaa, Professor of Arabic language at Omar Bin Al Khattab Model School; and Mr. Lewis Bullock, a senior official at Dubai Culture & Arts Authority. The results were announced to the parents of qualifying students through an SMS as well as an email message. After the selection of 11 qualifiers, the final qualifying rounds will take place prior to the commencement of the daily lectures of Dubai Ramadan Forum which will be held in Zabeel Hall at the Dubai World Trade Centre from June 24 to July 4, 2015.
The “Preacher of the Nation” competition is a pioneering initiative that takes a unique approach in developing the skills of young talents by placing them on the right track. The competition has grown in stature over the years, and is today looked upon as an important platform for discovering the scholars and preachers of tomorrow.