>>>
>>> ALL
>>> ALL RIGHT. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT A HUGE
ACCOMPLISHMENT.
ACCOMPLISHMENT. AKHMED BARAD MUHAMMAD IS THE
FIRST AMERICN TO WIN
INTERNATIONAL KORAN RECITATION
CONTEST.
CONTEST.
CONTEST. >> WE WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU
OUR ONE ON ONE WITH AKHMED
BEFORE HE WON THIS PRESTIGIOUS
PRIZE.
PRIZE.
PRIZE. HERE'S JOHN CROMAN.
[
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ] .
.
. >>
. >> Reporter: 15-YEAR-OLD
MUHAMMAD HAS BEEN LEARNING TO
RESITE THE COR RAN SINCE HE WAS
A -- KORAN SINCE HE WAS A CHILD.
>> THEY START LEARNING THE KORAN
WHEN THEY ARE 5 OR 4.
SO THEY START LEARNING ABOUT
WRITING AND READING IN ARABIC.
THAT'S HOW THEY START.
>> Reporter: THE GOAL LEARN ALL
604 PAGES, EVERY SINGLE VERSE.
>> 6,236 VERSES OF THE KORAN
THAT THEY HAVE TO MEMORIZE.
>> Reporter: AHMED WAS ONE OF 75
MINNESOTA STUDENTS WHO TRAVELED
TO CHICAGO TO PUT THE KORAN
QUIZZING SKILLS TO THE TEST.
THE ANNUAL MUSLIM-AMERICAN
SOCIETY ISLAMIC CIRCLE OF NORTH
KOREA CONVENTION DREW THOUSANDS
AND THE KORAN COMPETITION WAS
INTENSE.
INTENSE.
INTENSE. >> THEY RECITE A VERSE AND YOU
HAVE TO CONTINUE ON THE REST OF
THE PAGE.
THE PAGE.
THE PAGE. >> Reporter: THAT'S RIGHT, THE
JUDGE READS ONE VERSE AND THE
STUDENTS MUST RECITE THE REST OF
THE VERSES ON THAT PAGE FROM
MEMORY IN ARABIC.
OH, THERE'S ALSO POINTS FOR
STYLE.
STYLE.
STYLE. >>
STYLE. >> THE PRONUNCIATION SHOULD BE
PERFECT, THE LETTERS AND THE
CHARACTERISTICS OF LETTERS.
THE WAY YOU'RE SAYING IT.
THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT
WAYS, THINGS THEY ARE LOOKING
AT.
AT.
AT. >>
AT. >> Reporter: WHEN THE SMOKE
CLEARED ALL 18 OF THE TOP FINERS
WERE -- FINISHERS WERE
SOMALI-AMERICANS.
SOMALI-AMERICANS. AHMED MUHAMMAD CAPTURED THE TOP
PRIZE IN THE TOUGHEST DIVISION.
>> I WAS REALLY HAPPY.
MY HARD WORK PAID OFF.
>> THIS WHOLE COMMUNITY,
ESPECIALLY IN MINNESOTA, FELT
BLESSED AND HAPPY ABOUT IT.
>> Reporter: ONE OF AHMED'S
KORAN TEACHERS IN MINNEAPOLIS.
THE HOME MOSQUE FOR 11 OF THIS
YEAR'S PRIZE WINNERS.
WE COULDN'T RESIST ASKING HIM TO
TEST AWE MAD'S MAD SKILLS ONE --
A MAD'S MAD SKILLS -- AWE MAD'S
-- AHMAD'S MAD SKILLS ONE MORE
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. HE
TIME. HE NAILED IT, OR SO WE'RE TOLD.
IN MINNEAPOLIS, I'M JOHN CROMAN.
>> THAT'S SUPER BEAUTIFUL.
>> UNBELIEVABLE.
>> UNBELIEVABLE. >> WE GOT TO APOLOGIZE.
WE SAID HIS NAME WRONG.
AHMED, I'M SORRY.
NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD, AHMED
IS A JUNIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL.
HIS HARD WORK PAID OFF BIG TIME.
HE BEAT OUT 100 OTHER PEOPLE.
HE FLAWLESSLY REUNITED PASSAGES
FROM THE MUSLIM HOLY BOOK FOR
MORE THAN 11 MINUTES STRAIGHT.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, HE WAS GIVEN
A CHAMPION'S WELCOME WHEN HE GOT
HOME LAST NIGHT AT MINNEAPOLIS
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. SO WELL DESERVED.
>>
>> I
>> I DIDN'T EXPECT TO GET TOP THREE.
THREE.
THREE. THE WHOLE WORLD, IMAGINE GETTING
FIRST PLACE.
FIRST PLACE. YOU'RE GOING TO FEEL A LOT OF
EXCITEMENT.
EXCITEMENT. >> HE ALSO WON $68,000.
HE'S GOING TO USE THAT TO GO TO
COLLEGE.
COLLEGE.
COLLEGE. OUR HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS.
I REMEMBER WHEN JOHN DID THAT
STORY MONTHS AGO AND IT CAME
BACK WHEN HE WAS RECITING AGAIN.
TRS SO COOL.
>> -- IT'S SO COOL.
>> IT'S HARD TO COMPREHEND THAT.
IMAGINE IN MY INSTANCE, ANY
VERSE FROM THE BIBLE.
HERE'S THE VERSE, YOU FINISH IT.
THAT'S WHAT HE DID.
>> THAT'S JUST RECITING, YOU
KNOW, PHRASES, WORDS, SENTENCES,
AND THAT YOU HAVE TO HIT THE
LETTERS CORRECTLY, THE SONG
CORRECTLY, THE PITCH CORRECTLY,
THAT'S INCREDIBLE.
THAT'S INCREDIBLE. HERE'S SOME OF YOUR THOUGHTS ON
WHAT AHMED WAS ABLE TO DO IN HIS
HISTORIC WIN.
HISTORIC WIN.