A Twin Cities teenager representing the United States has won a prestigious international Qur’an recitation contest, a first for an American.
Ahmed Burhan Mohamed, of New Brighton, won the Dubai International Holy Qur’an Award in the United Arab Emirates, his school principal said Wednesday. The high school junior at the Ubah Medical Academy charter school in downtown Hopkins came out on top among the 104 participants, a record for the event in its 22-year history, according to Gulf News, the most widely read English-language newspaper in the Middle East.
First place earned him the U.S. equivalent of roughly $68,000. Mohamed took to the podium last week and recited from the Muslim holy book for more than 11 minutes. He was awarded his prize Tuesday at the Dubai Cultural and Scientific Association auditorium. He said the victory was a surprise to him and especially gratifying given that he is the first American to capture the prize.
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