Mohammed Bin Rashid Crowns Hatem Tarkawi From Syria, Kadi Khathaami From Saudi Arabia And Salsabil Sawalha From Palestine As Arab Reading Champions In 2024

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, today crowned Hatem Mohammed Jassim Al Tarkawi from Syria, Kadi bintMusaffar Al Khathaami from Saudi Arabia and Salsabil Hassan Sawalha from Palestine as the 8th Arab Reading Champions at the concluding ceremony of the Challenge, held at Dubai Opera.

This year's Arab Reading Challenge, the world's largest Arabic reading initiative organised by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), witnessed unprecedented participation with over 28 million students from more than 229,000 schools in 50 countries, guided by over 154,000 supervisors.

Speaking on the occasion, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum affirmed that knowledge remains the cornerstone of progress for societies, paving the way for humanity to achieve a future of dignity and confidence.

"Today, we celebrate the winners of the 8th Arab Reading Challenge, which brought together over 28 million students from 50 countries, marking a new milestone for the world's largest reading project. I am deeply impressed by this young generation's passion for reading and immensely proud of their accomplishments," His Highness said.

"Each year, Arab students exemplify positivity and initiative, inspiring us with their courage to transform dreams into reality. They embraced perseverance as the key to victory, and their dedication has been justly rewarded," he added.

Expressing his profound admiration for students with disabilities, His Highness added: "Our ‘students of determination’ have once again demonstrated their unwavering willpower and resolve to overcome any obstacle. We are immensely proud of their achievements, which illuminate the path towards a brighter, more enlightened future for the Arab world."

The Arab Reading Champions received an award of AED500,000 each after prevailing in the final qualifying round. Omar Abdul Latif from Egypt (Al Azhar Al Sharif) secured second place and received AED100,000, while Sulaiman Al Shumaimari from Kuwait claimed third place and received AED70,000.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid also awarded the ‘Best School’ title to Al Ibdaa’ Model School - Cycle 1 from the UAE.

Attended by more than 1,500 guests, the ceremony also recognised winners of the "Outstanding Supervisor," "Community Champion," and "People of Determination Champion” categories, in addition to country-level winners.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum extended his congratulations to the winners of the 8th Arab Reading Challenge and all participants, stating, "Congratulations to every winner and every dedicated participant this year. Congratulations to those who have embraced books as companions and reading as a way of life. Congratulations also to the families of these exceptional students. My sincere gratitude goes to the educational institutions in the participating countries for their instrumental role in the Challenge's success. The dedication to spreading knowledge and culture is a noble pursuit, and empowering future generations through knowledge is a truly honorable calling."

The concluding ceremony was attended by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai; Lt. General His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the UAE; His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai; His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group; His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Ports and Borders Security Council; and Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, alongside a host of ministers and senior officials.

Best School

The ‘Best School’ title and AED1 million prize were awarded to Al Ibdaa’ Model School - Cycle 1 from the UAE, acknowledging the school’s vital role in encouraging reading and participation of its students, as well as promoting the challenge through various initiatives. Abu Talha Al Ansari Secondary School from Saudi Arabia won the second place and received a prize of AED500,000 while Awarta Secondary School for Girls came third and received a prize of AED300,000.

Country-level winning schools included Al-Khawarizmi Primary School for Girls (Qatar), Sitra Secondary School for Girls (Bahrain), Zahour Al Yasmin Private School (Ministry of Education - Egypt), Iqra Foundation (Morocco), Arwa Bint Abdul Muttalib School (Kuwait), Abdullah II School for Excellence (Jordan), Awarta Secondary School for Girls (Palestine), Al Ibdaa’ Model School - Cycle 1 (UAE), Bab Al Hikma School (Mauritania), The First High School for the Gifted (Iraq), Al-Kumait Gifted School (Syria), Al Bashaer Secondary School (Lebanon), Al Fateh Foundation Education School (Libya), Manzel Salem Middle School (Tunisia), and Abu Talha Al Ansari Secondary School (Saudi Arabia).

Community champions

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum awarded the title of ‘Community Champion’ and a prize of AED100,000 to Mohammed Abdul Fattah Al-Refaie from Sweden.

Ahmed Abdul Raqib Ahmed from Malaysia won second place and received AED70,000 while Jana Al-Sayyed Hamdi from Greece won third place and received a prize of AED30,000.

Introduced in the Challenge's third edition, the "Community Champion" category allows students from Arab communities abroad, as well as non-Arabs learning Arabic, to participate. This addition marks a significant milestone for the world's largest Arabic reading initiative.

The finals consist of an oral examination in which students will summarise the key themes of the 25 books they have read, demonstrating their command of Standard Arabic. The judging panel will evaluate each student's comprehension and ability to articulate ideas in their own words. To succeed, students must confidently discuss, critique, and analyse the texts, demonstrating their ability to meaningfully connect the various concepts.

Finalists for this category included Yahya Khalid Al-Otaibi (Italy), Iyad Abdul Rahman Tabi (France), Suhaib Abdul Razzaq (Canada), Jana Al-Sayyed Hamdi (Greece), Lana Esa'eed (Germany), Sara Musa (Denmark), Mohammed Abdul Fattah Al-Refaie (Sweden), Aya Walid Saad Al-Din (Norway), Jawhara Saleh Al-Hassan (Finland), Jihad Al-Jaffal (Belgium), Mohammed Hanan Pedaikail (India), Mazen Yousef Al-Hussein (China), Radwa Abdullah (Australia), Razan Hawa (New Zealand), Zaid Aziz Ghanem (United Kingdom), Ahmed Abdul Raqib Ahmed (Malaysia), Dorinda Al-Sayed Zaiter (Russia), Israa Musalli (Turkey), Lynn Al-Majzoub (Austria), Ibrahim Afifi (Switzerland), Khadija Khalil Abdul Karim (Brazil), Kamee Basim Al-Jabai (Netherlands), and Mohammed Kalash (Ireland).

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