Riyadh, January 26, 2022, SPA -- Under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the 42nd King Abdulaziz International Competition for the Memorization, Recitation and Interpretation of the Holy Quran, is scheduled to be launched at the Grand Holy Mosque in Makkah Al- Mukarramah between Safar 14 and 25, 1444 Hijri. The competition will be held under the organization of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, represented by the Secretariat General of the Holy Quran Competition, as it is expected to attract participants from around the world, where the total amount of prizes for the competition's five branches reaches around SAR 3 million. On the occasion, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance and Supervisor General of the competition Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh expressed gratitude and appreciation for Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for his interest and care in the Holy Quran, noting that the competition is an extension of what this blessed state has offered to Muslims around the world through fair competition to memorize the Holy Quran. He also referred to the successes of the competition in encouraging Muslims around the world through its journey extending over four decades of fair competition to memorize the Holy Quran and highlight the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts in taking care and concern of memorizing, reciting and interpreting the Holy Quran. He also said that the award this year is characterized by an increase in the allocation of prizes to SAR 2.7 million, instead of SAR 1.145 million in the previous session, in addition to adding a category of memorizing the entire Holy Quran in the seven readings, in a bid to develop this competition that carries the name of the late founder. The minister also stressed that the award will be held according to preventive measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic according to protocols made by specialized authorities, noting that the ministry called on government institutions, ministries, associations and Islamic sheikhdoms in the world to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Saudi embassies to participate in the competition in its current session. --SPA 13:29 LOCAL TIME 10:29 GMT 0014 www.spa.gov.sa/w1683383