In an unprecedented humanitarian gesture, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Patron of the Award, issued his supreme directives to the effect that prison sentences handed down on Dubai prisons inmates be mitigated for any one who memorizes the Holy Quran or parts of it. This is based on His Highness belief that the book of God Almighty is the best guide to the proper human behavior regardless of the size or motive of the crime and to encourage this category of the community to memorize the Holy Quran.

These directives became a reality and resulted in the launching of a new branch of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award, namely the memorization of the Holy Quran at Punitive Institutions in Dubai.

This gesture was applauded by all sectors of the community and many figures of the society, through direct contacts and media, expressed their strong support for it hoping that it will be an example to be followed and adopted by the Islamic countries.

Objectives of the program:

1.     To plant the religious deterrent in the inmates through memorizing the Holy Quran.

2.     To mitigate their punishment in honor of the Holy Quran.

3.     To transform jails into reformatory and educational institutions.

4.     To make the inmate a righteous soul and a useful member of the society and regard the  Holy Quran as the starting point of changing to better.

5.     To endeavor to spread this experience in the Islamic world.

Mitigated penalties:

A decision by the concerned authorities was issued calling for the mitigation of the sentence of the inmates males and females who can memorize the Holy Book as follows:

This gesture has actually transformed jails into educational institutions where inmates carry out Quranic activities that qualify them to become good members of the society.

The gesture was greatly applauded all categories of the society and many prominent figures expressed, through direct contacts and through media, their strong support for the gesture hoping that it will be followed and adopted by the Islamic countries.

The Organizing Committee holds a test for registered inmates every three months. The inmate is considered successful if he obtains 70% and above and shall be entitled to benefit from the pardon and mitigation of sentence according to the implemented system. The Organizing Committee holds a formal reception every year to announce the names of those benefiting from the pardon or mitigation.

Conditions of acceptance and registration:

1.     The program adopts the sessions system where the term of its session of memorizing is three months at the beginning of which those who wish are registered during a personal interview to ensure their levels and that they did not memorize the Holy Quran before going into jail.

2.     Upon registration, the new inmates are subjected to a level determination test.

3.     The inmates who pass the level determination test shall join a teaching session in which they learn the rules of recitation.

Upon registration, the inmate should fulfill the following:

1.     Speaks Arabic or at least knows how to read the Holy Quran.

2.     Should not be judged with death sentence.

3.     Should not be an intentional killer.

4.     His sentence should not be less than six months.

List of inmates registered with the memorization program and the inmates whose sentence had been mitigated