The Qur’an Reciting Competitions in the Nizhny Novgorod Region (2005–2021)

Abstract

This article is devoted to the practices of religious education and socialization of Muslims in the Nizhny Novgorod region, more precisely, to the study of Qur’an reciting competitions in the period from 2005 till 2021. The purpose of the study is to reveal the essence of these practices. The sources of the research include information materials of the official Internet site of Spiritual Boards of Muslims of Nizhny Novgorod Region (DUM NO), and the results of an interviews with representatives of the organizers’ team of the competition and teachers of maktabs. Based on this goal, the authors seek to reconstruct the specifics of the organization of the Qur’an reciting competition. The study has used the interdisciplinary approach and methods of social sciences. The research identified the following practices: the practice of mentoring and systematic training and education; the practice of teaching and religious education through contemporary means of communication; the practice of common work and competition in good deeds; the practice of thanksgiving, praising the Almighty; socialization practice, strengthening unity within the ummah; the practice of encouraging of the acquisition of new knowledge; vocational guidance practice. The research scientific novelty is expressed by systematization of information about Qur’an reciting competitions in the Nizhny Novgorod region.