Koran reciting competition<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post should be congratulated for its coverage of
\nthe first international Koran recitation competition from Dec. 6
\nto Dec. 8 in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The Post neglected to note, however, that first place for the
\nfinest woman reciter went to Indonesian Nazirah Hasan. Indonesian
\nwomen reciters are known internationally and nationally in Koran
\ncompetitions, and contestants in all categories, from calligraphy
\nto memorization, are evenly divided along gender lines.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Muslim community is surely the only Muslim
\ncommunity in which gender equality, at least in terms of
\nparticipation, is so firmly institutionalized. In fact, the
\nJakarta organizers of the international event altered the
\nstructure and rules of the competition to downplay the importance
\nof women and their roles in Indonesian Islam in order not to
\noffend guests from Arab and Middle Eastern nations, where women
\nare not included among either contestants or on the panel of
\njudges.<\/p>\n
While this is the first international Koranic event held in
\nIndonesia, it should be noted that Indonesia has had a dynamic
\nculture of Koranic arts competitions that officially began in the
\n1960s.<\/p>\n
ANNE K. RASMUSSEN
\nAssociate Professor of Ethnomusicology
\nThe College of William and Mary
\nWilliamsburg, Virginia<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/koran-reciting-competition-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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