8 year old Bhatkal boy earns prestigious ‘Preacher of the Nation’ award in UAE
By TwoCircles.net Staff reporter,
New Delhi: A Karnataka coastal town of Bhatkal which continuously remain in mainstream media’s focus due to its being a “home town” of alleged Indian Mujahideen outfit’s absconding founders Reyaz and Iqbal Shabandri has unfortunately missed the Indian mainstream media’s spotlight when an 8 year little boy of its origin won the highest prestigious reward for a child in Dubai of being ‘Preacher of the Nation’.
An 8 year old boy ‘Ibrahim Fahim Shabandri’ who also shares the same surname as that of alleged Indian Mujahideen founders has brought fame to his home town which is for quite some years running in dark due to association of it with alleged banned outfit IM in India.
Ibrahim Fahim Shabandri has been declared winner of UAE Preacher of the Nation in the Arabic category at the Al Multaqa Forum hosted in Dubai World Trade Centre. The eight year old won in a stiff competition among 70 other competitors and impressed judges with his Arabic oratory skills.
Little Master 'Ibrahim Fahim Shabandri' from Bhatkal [courtesy :Khaleejtimes.com]
Participation in the contest is limited to boys between the ages of 6 and 11 years. Contestants can choose to compete either in the art of public religious speaking or poem recitation. Evaluation of the participants will be based upon six criteria including memorizing skills, the impact of the speech and the depth of content, language performance – performance analog and effectiveness of communication and voice rhythm – stopping and starting. Every contestant will have between four to five minutes to deliver their presentations before the organizing committee.
A fluent Arabic speaker and a student of memorization of holy Quran at the Ibn Khaldoon school, wearing a traditional Bisht and a Kandoora, Ibrahim walked up to the stage on the last day of the Al Multaqa Ramadan Forum with charm and confidence and showcased his grip over spoken Arabic.
The competition is held as part of the 13th edition of the annual Ramadan Forum, organized by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation. Aimed at unearthing promising talents to support them in their endeavors to be the leaders of the future, the contest this year will include a new category featuring religious sermons in English.
The jury overseeing the evaluation of contestants includes Sheikh Omar Saad, Senior Preacher at the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities, who will act as the supervisor of the jury committee; Sheikh Ahmed Abu Saud, Imam at the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities; Mr. Bader Jumaa, a Professor of Arabic language at Omar Bin Al Khattab Model School and Mr. Lewis Bullock, an official at Dubai Culture. The Committee will select 12 students in the run up to the finals in the areas of religious sermon and classical poetry recitation.
The competition is conducted in two phases, with 71 students in the preliminaries, including 35 participants, who speak Arabic and 36 participants forming the group of English speaking students. The four-member jury will choose 12 finalists to qualify for the final stage. In the final rounds, three winners will be selected during a ceremony, which will be held before the audience attending the Ramadan Forum, prior to the commencement of the daily lectures in Zabeel Hall at Dubai World Trade Centre.
Mohammed Al Hashemi, Head of the forum’s organizing committee, said to KhaleejTimes: “The competition aims at attracting promising talents in the field of religious sermon and poetry recitation. It also aims at strengthening the ability of students in the areas of public speaking, to boost their self-confidence and to help nurture their spirit of leadership. We are very pleased with the turnout so far. It motivates us to work harder in taking this competition to new heights for the upcoming editions. In the future, we will ensure that schools in the country are informed well in advance so we are able to reach out to a maximum number of gifted students.”
“Sermons play a pivotal role in the lives of individuals by helping them modify their behavior. It also drives people’s attention towards a particular issue and convinces listeners to maintain a specific point of view over another, besides helping them build relationships with people and increasing their chances of success in life and boosting education,” he added.
Ibrahim’s father Fahim Ahmed Shabandri said to Khaleejtimes, “This is a very happy moment for our family and community. His success is the result of a lot of hard work and commitment.”