Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid with Sham Al Bakour and others during the ceremony in Dubai on Thursday.

Syed Shayaan Bakht, Staff Reporter

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, crowned Sham Mohammed Al Bakour, a 7-year-old Syrian girl, the title of the champion of the Arab Reading Challenge in its sixth session.

In an interview with Al Khaleej, Sham said she was proud to represent Syria in its first participation in the Arab Reading Challenge, considering that the challenge was a main reason for refining her reading skills and knowledge and boosting her confidence in herself at such a young age.

Answering a question about her daily reading hours and how she finds a time for studying and another for reading, Sham stated that there were no specific hours for reading because it was her main hobby and she used to read at home, at school and during her social activities.

Sheikh Mohammed with the participants of the Arab Reading Challenge in Dubai.

“My mother helped me organise my time and consequently I had an opportunity to study, another to read and a third to practise my hobby. Hence, it became easy to develop all my interests, but reading was an essential element in my daily life like air, water and food,” she added.

Sheikh Mohammed wiht Sham Al Bakour and others in Dubai.

Talking about the way she selected books and what these books talked about, Sham said the credit in this aspect partly went to her mother, who helped her with the quality of books and the areas that suited her age.