Lack of Meaning

In the documentary Koran by Heart, 110 people from around the world meet in Cairo, Egypt to compete in the world's oldest Koran recitation contest.  In these recitations, the perfection of rhythm, sound, vowel stress, and rules of tajweed are a key to success.  Why are understanding and analysis not other praised achievements when it comes to mastering the Koran?  Blind recitation trumps comprehension as recitation is, "one of the most venerated activities within Islamic culture and civilization" (Sells 162).

In the movie, the head of the competition repeats that the enemies of Islam, or those who commit crimes in the name of the Koran, misinterpret the word of God.  It is obviously wrong to practice violence, but how can they be blamed?  If the Koran is only read for its sound, and the meaning is rarely understood or discussed, ignorant practice is inevitable.  How is reading any text substantial if you don't have they slightest clue what you are saying?  The "word of God" is simply wasted if it is just "heard" and not acknowledged.  Religious war in the Middle East cannot ever be expected to cease as long as, "the written word of its scripture has always been secondary to a strong tradition of oral transmission" (Graham 79).