On a mission to bring peace to his troubled land

• NAME: Abdullah Kapo
• AGE: 21
• COUNTRY: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abdullah Kapo, one of the oldest contestants in the Dubai International Holy Quran Award, sat serenely awaiting his turn. His broad smile revealed his confidence and self-assurance.

"I feel a great responsibility to be part of this competition, I'm here to represent my country Bosnia, and so I have to achieve my best in order to bring honour to my country and the Quran."

The 21-year-old is currently studying Islamic Sharia in one of the most prestigious Islamic universities, Al Azhar in Egypt. His young wife is also a student there. He hopes to continue his studies in either Malaysia or Qatar but eventually intends to return to Bosnia to one day become a cleric.

"I want to teach young Bosnians the glory of the Quran and the religion, I want to take part in making the religion strong and thriving in Bosnia." Said Abdullah.

Abdullah has lived most of his life in Saudi Arabia, far away from his politically troubled country. He decided to go back to Bosnia at the age of 15 to further study the Quran; it was there that he finished memorizing the Quran at the age of 19.

Beginning at school

"My first teacher was my mother, she taught me the Quran while I was six and still at home with her. I learnt the Quran in school in Saudi Arabia but didn't memorise it completely until I was in Bosnia."

Abdullah has many concerns about his home-country; one of his main concerns is the state of Islam in Bosnia. "It was my first time in Bosnia after I left it as a child. Practicing Islam in Saudi Arabia is very easy, the society and government stand hand-in-hand to preserve the religion. In Bosnia the matter was completely different. I sensed a reluctance and lack of passion in the Muslims there; they are not as strongly faithful to Islam as I thought they would be," said Abdullah.

He says political tensions are very obvious in Bosnia, even though the war ended 15 years.

"Even though the fighting ended, there is still a political and economic war that's going on. There is still religious pressure on Muslims. What angers me is some Bosnian's don't acknowledge this tension," he said.

"There are Bosnians that marry Serb women and mingle with them. Many of us were killed during that war, we should never forget that. I hope that Bosnians come back to the religion, practice it correctly again," he added.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

•  There are 2 million Muslims
• Constitute 40% of a population of 4.6 million
• Referred to as Bosniaks they descend from Slavic people who converted to Islam in the 15th and 16th centuries
• Islam brought by Ottomans in 15th Century- Most are very secular as a result of socialist influence