American flies to Riyadh to take part in Saudi's 'Otr Elkalam'

Riyadh: 'Otr Elkalam' show, one of the initiatives of the General Entertainment Authority, witnessed the participation of Hollywood film and TV screenwriter, American contestant of Palestinian origin, Yasser Omar Shaheen, in the recitation track. Shaheen entertained the viewers with his melodious voice and distinctive recitation of the Holy Quran.

"My life has involved memorising and reciting the Quran and writing scripts in the halls of Hollywood," Shaheen says. "I supervised the production of more than 130 programs, produced 14 documentaries, and contributed to many programs on TV channels in Arab and Islamic countries."

Shaheen found himself in the academic profession. He worked as a faculty member at San Jose University in California and participated in a number of competitions that led him to Otr Elkalam, where he has become among the international voices in the show that is broadcast in Ramadan on the MBC1 and the Shahid digital platform.

Thanks to his rich imagination, his teachers believe, Shaheen competed with filmmakers in their own fields and was present in areas that many Arab Americans missed. He gained many international experiences and occupied a significant part of his life teaching Muslim children the Quran and the rules of intonation in the mosques of Dallas, Texas.

Otr Elkalam is one of the prominent Ramadan TV programs. It combines the recitation of the words of revelation (the Holy Quran) and adhan (the Islamic call to prayer) with the most beautiful voices in the world. The competition aims to shed light on the distinguished voices in reciting the Quran and adhan and to contribute to improving the performance of the contestants and viewers.

Otr Elkalam show is one of the initiatives of the General Entertainment Authority that it launched in 2019 to establish an international competition targeting distinguished talents in Quran recitation and raising adhan. Huge financial prizes totalling more than SAR12 million were allocated for it.

The first version of the show was launched in Ramadan 2022, on the Saudi channel, with the participation of some of the best voices in the world. The competition returns in 2023 on MBC and the Shahid digital platform daily at 4:30 pm, Riyadh time. More than 90,000 participants from more than 160 countries participated in the first and current editions of the competition in front of a specialised jury in recitation, voices, and maqamat.

The General Entertainment Authority (GEA) was established in line with Saudi Vision 2030 to organise and develop the entertainment sector in the Kingdom and provide options and entertainment opportunities for all segments of society in all regions of the Kingdom. The GEA aims to enrich life, bring joy and motivate the private sector to play its role in building and developing entertainment activities.

The GEA supports the economy of the Kingdom by contributing to the diversification of its sources, raising the GDP, in addition to supporting small and medium enterprises and raising the proportion of foreign direct investment in the entertainment sector.