Mohammed bin Rashid crowns Tunisian twins as Arab Reading Champs

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said: “Those who fall a step behind in acquiring knowledge today will soon find themselves miles behind in the ambitious race to lead in progress and global influence.”

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed made these remarks at the closing ceremony of the 9th Arab Reading Challenge at the Dubai World Trade Centre, where he crowned the twins Bisan and Baylasan Kouka from Tunisia as the 2025 Arab Reading Champions. The two were named winners from among more than 32 million students representing 132,112 schools across 50 countries, guided by 161,004 supervisors, as part of the world’s largest Arabic literacy initiative.

The Tunisian twins received an award of AED500,000 after prevailing in the final qualifying round, which brought together country-level winners in Dubai. Mohammed Jassim Ibrahim from Bahrain secured second place and received AED100,000, while Mariam Mohammed Shamekh from Mauritania claimed third place and received AED70,000.

His Highness also awarded the ‘Outstanding Supervisor’ title to Sahar Misbah from Egypt.

During the ceremony, Sheikh Mohammed joined Arab Reading Challenge coordinators from all participating countries in a group photo. The coordinators made vital contributions to the success of the ninth edition across its various stages.

The ceremony also recognised winners in the ‘Best School’, ‘Community Champion’, and ‘People of Determination Champion’ categories, in addition to country-level winners of the 9th Arab Reading Challenge.

His Highness said: “More than 32 million Arab students joined the world’s largest reading initiative. This is a promising generation that draws inspiration from our glorious history while speaking to the future with clarity and confidence. Today, Arab students are achieving their goals and ambitions, armed with sharp minds, unwavering determination, and an irreplaceable companion: the book.”

Congratulating the winners of the 9th Arab Reading Challenge and the finalists from 50 countries, His Highness added: “Congratulations to every winner and participant who had the desire, determination, and confidence to compete for the top ranks. Congratulations to every teacher, school, and family that helped nurture a generation that makes us proud and, together, is shaping the Arab future we aspire to.”

The awards ceremony was attended by Lt. General His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group; Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority; Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; and a number of senior officials.

Country-level champions who made it to the final round of the 9th Arab Reading Challenge include: Adam Al Rawdani (Morocco), AlGhala Abdullah Al Hajeri (Qatar), Edris Ali Alyami (KSA), Baraa Mohammed Saeed (Djibouti), Mohammed Ahmed Al Hassanin (Al Azhar Al Sharif), Hiba Abu Baker (Palestine), Taghreed Mohammed (Egypt), Ghaleya Naser Al Anazi (Kuwait), Mohammed Jassim Ibrahim (Bahrain), Mariam Mohammed Shamekh (Mauritania), Lamar Tariq Al Jaafreh (Jordan), Abdulrazzaq Al Asmar (Lebanon), Reem Adel Al Zarouni (UAE), Aysha Nizar Kazim (Iraq), twins Bisan and Baylasan Kouka (Tunisia), Nuha Taha Abdulsalam (Libya), Rahaf Sami Abdullah (Yemen) and Nardeen Fadi Issa (Syria).

Sahar Misbah from Egypt won the title of ‘Outstanding Supervisor’ and a prize of AED300,000. Rana Farid Salmi from Palestine came second and received AED100,000 while Zahra Hamad Ibrahim from the UAE came in third place and received AED50,000.

Country-level winning supervisors included Al Saadiya Azado (Morocco), Ali Salim Saffouri (Qatar), Maha Saeed Al Thubaiti (KSA), Rana Farid Salmi (Palestine), Sahar Misbah (Egypt), Fatima Salem Muhsin (Kuwait), Shaikha Mohammed Al Rumeihi (Bahrain), Osama Al Safi (Jordan), Inath Baydoun (Lebanon), Khadija Mohammed Bezied (Mauritania), Zahra Hamad Ibrahim (UAE), Aliyya Bu Ishaq (Tunisia), Bashir Mohammed Al Eisawi (Libya) and Rashad Salem Ahmed (Syria).

Lt. General His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed awarded the ‘Best School’ title to Atika bint Zaid School – 1st Cycle from the UAE and Tarablus Al Haddadin School from Lebanon, with each school receiving an AED500,000 prize.

Ibn Khaldoun Primary School – Al Nafal from Saudi Arabia won second place and received a prize of AED500,000.

Country-level winning schools included Fatima Al Andalusia School (Morocco), Bilal bin Rabah School (Qatar), Ibn Khaldoun Primary School – Al Nafal (KSA), Al Atara Secondary School for Girls (Palestine), Balkim Primary School (Egypt), Abraq Khaitan Middle School (Kuwait), Al Hidd Intermediate School (Bahrain), Tarablus Al Haddadin School (Lebanon), Al Fajr Modern School (Mauritania), Atika bint Zaid School – 1st Cycle (UAE), Hafir Al Mahr School (Tunisia), Qaraqra Intermediate School (Libya) and Al Bayan Model School (Syria).

Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum honoured Maria Hassan Ojail from Iraq with the 2025 People of Determination Champion title, awarding her a prize of AED200,000. Basmala Salahuddin Suleiman from Egypt and Thulfiqar Ali Sabra from Lebanon came in second and third and received awards of AED100,000 and AED50,000 respectively.

Country-level winners in this category included Weam Shakouk (Morocco), Ali Nasser Dalmouk (Qatar), Rafeef Mohammed Al Senani (KSA), Mohammed Reda Suleiman (Al Azhar Al Sharif), Hala Abdullah Salahuddin (Palestine), Basmala Salahuddin Suleiman (Egypt), Rasha Salman Al Khalaf (Kuwait), Fatima Kazim Mohammed (Bahrain), Layan Adnan Manasrah (Jordan), Thulfiqar Ali Sabra (Lebanon), Abdullah Ahmed Al Dhanhani (UAE), Maria Hassan Ojail (Iraq), Rahma Budann (Tunisia), Moyaadulhaq Ali Al Zain (Libya), Anhar Abdulkarim Abdulrahman (Yemen) and Mohammed Turba Dar (Syria).

Sheikha Latifa also awarded the title of ‘Community Champion’ and a prize of AED100,000 to Jehad Mohammed Murad from Italy. Baraa Radwan Al Zaeem from Brazil won second place and received AED70,000 while Lilia Burhan from Austria won third place and received a prize of AED30,000.

Introduced at the conclusion of the Challenge's second edition, the ‘Community Champion’ category allows students from Arab communities abroad, as well as non-Arabs learning Arabic, to participate.

Over the course of the ninth edition and during the finals, students underwent an oral examination in which they summarised the key themes of the 25 books they have read, demonstrating their command of Standard Arabic.

The judging panel evaluated each student's vocabulary and ability to articulate ideas in their own words. To succeed, students must confidently discuss, critique, and analyse the texts, demonstrating their ability to meaningfully connect the various concepts.

Finalists for this category included: Tuqa Ahmed Hashim (Australia), Baraa Radwan Al Zaeem (Brazil), Jannat Arkan Mohammed (China), Masa Al Khateeb (Germany), Nawar Mawed (Norway), Lilia Burhan (Austria), Razan Hassan Al Masri (USA), Mirna Ahmed Shamsuddine (Greece), Jehad Mohammed Murad (Italy), Najmuddine Rashid Nemeh (England), Jood Naddaf (Belgium), Norseen Shorfi (Türkiye), Qassim Amed Qassim (Scotland), Alma Al Muti (Switzerland), Tahseen Yousef Al Droobi (Finland), Abdulrahman Mahmoud Badr (Canada), Tayem Al Elaiwi (Luxembourg), Ibtisam Adeeb (Malaysia), Yara Musa Eid (New Zealand), Zaid Sarhan (France), Raghad Mohammaed Ziad (The Netherlands), Mohammed Mafongal (India), Sondos Al Hindi (Ireland), Maria Naqawa (Sweden), Mariam Omar Adib (Denmark) and Rahmat Anchuri (Indonesia).

Mohammad Al Gergawi, Secretary General of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), said the Arab Reading Challenge embodies the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to underscore the importance of reading and the dissemination of knowledge as foundations of civilisation, development, and prosperity. He noted that the Challenge puts into practice His Highness Sheikh Mohammed’s words: “Tolerance, openness, awareness, balance in thought and action - all begin with the book.”

Al Gergawi added: “The Arab Reading Challenge has effectively delivered its cultural and educational mission to young Arabs. Thanks to its clear vision and an innovative approach, students across the region have eagerly participated in past editions, with the ninth edition recording unprecedented participation and wide engagement at both official and public levels.”

He continued: “The Arab Reading Challenge aligns with the shared objectives of MBRGI and Arab ministries of education, namely of placing knowledge at the centre of future-building, helping students broaden their intellectual horizons, and elevating the status of the Arabic language so that young people are firmly rooted in their communities while remaining connected and open to the world.”

The Arab Reading Challenge continues to cement its role in the Arab knowledge and cultural landscape, earning wide official and public recognition. On 18 December 2024, the League of Arab States called on education ministries across Arab countries to adopt the Challenge as part of their curricula and to support its dissemination and enhancement. Marking World Arabic Language Day (designated by the UN in 1973), the League stated that the initiative is a leading knowledge and cultural project that strengthens the Arabic language as the vessel of Arab heritage and identity.

To advance its mission and expand access to knowledge resources, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) signed an MoU in November 2024 with the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Charity Foundation to launch the Arab Reading Challenge Digital Library.

Under the agreement, ESAG Charity Foundation contributed AED4 million to establish and launch the platform, including book digitisation, acquisition or licensing of publishing rights, and the provision of required software for the new e-platform.

In April 2025, the Arab Reading Challenge took part in the 30th Rabat International Book Fair, one of the largest cultural fairs in Africa and the Arab world. The Challenge’s pavilion drew strong engagement, welcoming over 5,000 visitors, including past participants in the Challenge.

The pavilion hosted more than 25 educational and cultural workshops on promoting a reading culture as a foundation for developing the abilities of new generations and on the initiative’s role in fostering creative thinking and self-learning. Workshops led by distinguished educators and former Challenge winners featured rich themes and engaging formats.

The ninth Arab Reading Challenge’s recorded figures underscore the initiative’s knowledge-driven mission, with total participation surpassing 163 million students to date.

Across nine editions, the Arab Reading Challenge has engaged more than 927,000 Arab schools, and over 877,000 supervisors. Participation has grown dramatically from 3.6 million students in the inaugural edition to more than 32.231 million in the ninth edition’s qualifiers; an increase of over 795%.

The eighth edition attracted 28.2 million students from 50 countries. The overall title was shared by Hatem Mohammed Jassim Al Tarkawi (Syria), Kadi bint Musaffar Al Khathaami (Saudi Arabia), and Salsabil Hassan Sawalha (Palestine), while Mohammed Ahmed Hassan Abdul Halim from Egypt (Al-Azhar Al-Sharif) took first place in the People of Determination category.

Al Ibdaa School – Cycle 1 (UAE) won Best School, Rabie Ahmed (Syria) was named Outstanding Supervisor, and student Mohammed Al-Refaie (Sweden) was crowned Community Champion.

The Arab Reading Challenge was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2015 as the largest-ever Arab literacy initiative. It aims to promote reading among students across the Arab world and beyond, strengthen language skills such as comprehension and clear self-expression, and nurture young Arabs’ love for the language and its everyday use.

It seeks to instil a lasting passion for knowledge and reading in new generations, equip them with the tools to create a better future and build their character. The challenge also aims to shape youth’s value system by exposing them to the customs, beliefs, and traditions of other cultures, promoting the principles of tolerance and coexistence.