Memorising Quran helps tolerate unfairness

Dubai Mo'ath Omar from the northern West Bank city of Nablus in Palestine said not a day passes by in his life that is certain or safe.

The 20-year-old engineering student said on the sidelines of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA) that he had missed many classes and exams due to the crippling situation in his home country.

"It was even challenging to get to Dubai from the West Bank. I was not even sure I could leave on time for the Quran competition."

His daily journey to university should take around 20 minutes but in most cases it requires a couple of hours due to the Israeli checkpoints.

His family had to sell their only piece of land in Nablus to be able to educate their ten children including Mo'ath. Both his parents are unemployed, he said.

His father had also been imprisoned for a month, which has affected the family. When Mo'ath was a high school student, the second intifada (uprising) had just ended.

According to Mo'ath, the West Bank wall disrupted Palestinian life in the West Bank, and security checkpoints were in place throughout.

"There are times I had to wait at the security barriers for six to seven hours and in the end we still didn't pass through," Mo'ath said.

"I missed an exam and had to sit for another one months later."

"Memorising the Quran makes me feel peaceful and helps to tolerate the unfairness we endure. I love my home country but it's not a place I can build and secure a decent future," he said.

Memorising the Quran is quite common in his community but it is not a growing trend, he added.