SERIAN: The Sarawak government continues to place strong emphasis on youth participation in Islamic programmes, with the majority of contestants in this year’s state level Majlis Tilawah dan Hafazan Al-Quran are made up of young participants.
Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Project Coordinator for Regional Development Agencies, Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) and Islamic Affairs) Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi said the encouraging turnout from younger age groups reflected sustained efforts to nurture the next generation of qari, qariah, hafiz and hafizah in the state.
“Overall, most of the participants this year are from the younger generation. We are indeed encouraging youth involvement in this programme,” he told a press conference on the upcoming state-level event to be held at the Serian Administrative Centre today.
He said participants in the tilawah category were mostly in their 30s, with the youngest aged 22 and the oldest 60, while those in the hafazan category were generally younger, comprising students from institutions of higher learning, schools and tahfiz madrasahs. The youngest hafazan participant is 14 years old, while the oldest is around 25.
The Majlis Tilawah dan Hafazan Al-Quran Peringkat Sarawak, an annual official Islamic and state government event, will take place from February 4 to 7 at Serian Conference Centre, marking its 65th edition since it was first held in 1960.
The programme is organised by Sarawak Islamic Council (SIC), with the involvement of Sarawak Islamic Department, and coordinated by the Serian Divisional Resident’s Office, with support from various state and federal agencies.
Dr Abdul Rahman added that this year’s event carries the theme ‘Ummah Maju dan Makmur’, which is also the overarching theme for Islamic programmes in Sarawak throughout the year.
“Among its objectives are to strengthen love for the Al-Quran, produce more high-calibre reciters and memorizers, and further enhance dakwah efforts to reinforce faith, piety and good morals.
“A total of 43 participants will compete this year, comprising 22 tilawah contestants — 13 qari and nine qariah — and 21 hafazan participants, including 15 male and six female contestants. Almost all divisions in Sarawak are represented, except Sri Aman and Kapit,” he said.
The hafazan competition is divided into three categories — 1 to 10 juzuk, 1 to 20 juzuk and 1 to 30 juzuk — with both male and female participants involved, except for the 1 to 30 juzuk category, which features male contestants only.
In terms of incentives, Dr Abdul Rahman stated champions in the tilawah qari and qariah categories will each receive RM10,000, along with trophies, accompanying prizes and certificates. Cash prizes are also offered across all hafazan categories, ranging from RM3,000 to RM5,000 for champions, depending on the category.
In addition to the main competition, nearly 10 side programmes have been lined up, including workshops, courses, forums, seminars, exhibitions, quizzes and several Bicara Remontan Al-Quran sessions featuring invited panels.
The opening ceremony on Feb 4 at 8.30 pm will be officiated by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, while the closing and prize-giving ceremony on Feb 7 will be officiated by Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
