Nothing gets the blood flowing (sometimes quite literally) like a good old-fashioned competition. In the United States, school kiddies reach for the brass ring via spelling bees, team sports, debate tournaments, and a whole host of other academic tilts (Model U.N, anyone?). Overseas, the competitive spirit is also hale and hearty, but channeled in different directions: in the Muslim world, for example, children learn to recite the Islamic holy book by heart and have the opportunity to show off their skills at a Qu'ran reciting joust held annually in Cairo. This excellent HBO original documentary follows the exploits of three gifted ten-year olds (one each from the Maldives, Senegal, and Tajikistan) who have their eyes on the big Cairo prize: an all expenses paid trip to Disneyland! No, I'm kidding - they actually just get a plaque. It's probably only a matter of time until an uber-competitive American Muslim gets the fever for Qu'ran recitation and brings the prize home to the good ol' U.S. of A., at which point we'll probably start seeing the contest broadcast on ESPN 3 in between Texas Hold 'Em tournaments and the X Games.
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JohnSeal24 September 2011
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(2011) Koran By Heart (Much of the language is in Arab, Muslim and Koran with English subtitles) DOCUMENTARY
Fascinating documentary about a gathering of mostly underage children entering the country of Cairo competing for the citing of the Koran (Qur'an) bible who have to memorize and speak perfectly by means of custom and tradition. The civilize debates regarding the Koran book is also in here as well. As ignorant as I am since I've never been to Cairo and had only seen movies about it whenever a settings being used, I've often wondered why I can hear the citing of the Koran spoken during the daytime whenever I were to watch a film, I've always wondered about the purpose of hearing about the sound of Koran spoken through huge loud speakers and as a result of this film fully makes the viewers understand it even more as well as it's purpose! The only problem I have with this documentary is that it's a little short thinking that their could've been more that could've been said. -
msalmank2 August 2011This is the first time i'm writing a review and maybe it is because i haven't been so unexpectedly thrown off by any movie/documentary like this before.
When i started watching "Koran by Heart", I didn't expect much from it other than the director following the competition in Egypt and pretty much that. But the way the movie follows the three kids, provides their story in bits, and focuses on the competition along with, it was simply brilliant. The documentary has a richness to it that makes it a must see for everyone.
I won't write anything about the story but again say that it is the most inspiring documentary I have watched in a long time. It made me laugh and it made me cry. And while the major focus of the documentary is the competition, it tackles so much more than that! -
blackwar13 June 2013Initially, I thought this documentary would be like any other documentary that i forced myself to watch; slow, possibly judgmental and phony. How wrong i was proved to be. I was eating my dinner and thought to myself that by the time i finished it, i would turn off my laptop if the documentary was no good. I was wrong and i was stuck between my meal and this movie till practically the end of the movie, and these are the 5 reasons why i like this piece of work so much:
1) Love: It's very touching to see this feeling, best portrayed by the simple conversation between the Tajik boy and his less than fortunate village father, whom with limited knowledge that he had, gave everything he could to better his son, in his own way of course. Also the conversation with the Maldives' girl, whom missed her mother so much during the trip, saying all the lovely good things about her mommy. Her mother's hope for her little girl, though in contrast with her own husband. Another amazing scene was with the outvoted Senegalese boy, perhaps disappointed and disheartened that he was disqualified, later received his own magic moment in one of the mosques in Egypt. He was honored by so many kisses by the masses after wards.
2) Simple Makes Perfect: This movie shuts the door for any of its crew to portray themselves more than the subjects of the movie. The movie connects one segment to another by writing simple one or two liners and let the subjects themselves, through their own natural reactions or interviews dictate the message of the movie. No annoying interviewer!!!
3) Subtle Ideological Difference: This movie subtly and impartially presents contrasting ideological differences within the Islamic community. With the competition and its participants as the background, these differences of ideology are portrayed between the Maldives' girl's father and mother (ie: what's best for the girl in the future), simple conversation in the buses about having Jews living within the Muslim world, worrying concern by the 'moderate' Egyptian Imam and Maldives' ex-leader against the perceived threat of fundamentalism, the Tajik's Principal vs the village school leader. Pheww...some heavy stuff.
4) Quranic Miracle: Can't help but to ponder how the thick holy book in Arabic, 600 in pages, more than 100 in chapters and more than 6000 in verses were easily memorized by these young boys and girls of Islam. What's more amazing, some of them are non-Arabic speakers and they are as young as 7 to 10 years old!!! Maybe their parents do not have PS3 and TV channels at home...but still, the Maldives' girl was playing super Mario and did excel in other non-religious subjects as well. Truly breathtaking...
5) Ugly Truth: Maybe it's just me, but some of the judges' were less than Quranic in their treatment of the Senegalese boy (no, not as cruel as Simon Cowell). What about that interrogation of the Tajik boy after his recitation? Thank God there was one sane man there...By the way, Hosni Mubarak looked very angelic in the movie. Little that he knew that soon he would be...oh well... -
drs-134-99110415 August 2011My sons are Marines that served both in Iraq and Afganistan and of course I was a former Marine. I read extensively and consider myself well read and I especially love ancient history. This movie was amazing and if you just listened and watched it explains so much the difference between how I raised my children in my Christain faith and how their children are raised. Seeing the faithfulness of the children to their parents and their teachers wishes was enlightening. You could see the fundamentalism expressed openly and the mistrust of non believers (non Muslim) as well as the man en-charge of the competition explain is moderate stance. You see the simple life and the modern inter mixed yet seemingly seamless. The attempt of modern communication merging with 700AD speculation and mistrust is real. Yet at the same time I question some of the judges motives who they picked as winners not saying that the young man who spoke no Arabic, memorized the whole Koran and recited so beautifully was not schooled in the appropriate rhythmic requirements was heralded as a genius ultimately will win a life and the little girl will loose hers. Again a great movie
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thesuf24 April 2021This is a very interesting, heartwarming and soulful documentary. Produced by HBO Documentary Films and shot mostly in Egypt just prior to the Arab Spring in 2011, this documentary revolves around the Quran memorization competition, held there every year, where children from around the world are invited compete in their Quran recitation abilities.
The documentary follows three specific children competing to win first prize in that competition. The children come from various backgrounds: two boys from Senegal and Tajikistan, and a little girl from Maldives. The filmmakers highlight these children's normal daily lives, their struggles in their home countries and the challenges they face in the competition.
Beautifully made, this documentary is an eye opener to the hardships people in different parts of the word face; an interesting peek into the Middle East's most recent political past; but also, and most importantly, this documentary serves as an exposure and as a nice introduction to the Quran for non-Muslims. I highly recommend. -
papelindholm9 April 2022... as the concept of compulsory spelling contests, little miss beauty competitions, rumspringa or jesuscamps. Children or youngsters with no volition in the matter due to indoctrination emphasizing shame, guilt and what not fabricated thoughts of impending inadequacy, used as trophies by adults having their wishful fantasies turned into delusions.
Sickening behaviour of the kind most condemnable.