Shaheem: Maldives aims to become the Islamic country with the most Hafiz per population

Islamic Minister Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed says the Ministry of Islamic Affairs aims to make the Maldives the Islamic country with the highest number of Hafiz in proportion to its population. He made the remarks Sunday evening at a ceremony held at the Islamic Centre to celebrate the graduation of new Hafiz.

Shaheem said the government spent MVR 19 million on Quran‑related initiatives last year, with a significant share dedicated to Quran memorisation programmes. He noted that the number of Hafiz in the Maldives has now reached a new milestone, describing it as “good news” for the country.

According to Shaheem, the government’s target is to increase the number of Hafiz to 500 within the next five years. “The long‑range goal of our ministry is to make Maldives the Islamic country with the most Hafiz in proportion to the population of its citizens in the Islamic world,” he said.

He added that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has given special priority to strengthening Quran education over the past two years. This includes increasing the prizes for Quran recitation competitions and doubling the allowance for memorisation students. The government also raised the monthly allowance for Hafiz to MVR 2,000 from July last year.

President Dr @MMuizzu presents the Presidential Medal and Prize to 31 new Huffaz who graduated at tonight’s ceremony.

The President also presented the Presidential Medal and Prize to an additional 18 Huffaz. pic.twitter.com/RqXCVwEHFm

— The President's Office (@presidencymv) March 1, 2026

Shaheem said it is the administration’s policy to establish a branch of the Quran Centre in every inhabited island, with 50 new branches planned for this year alone. He described the expansion of Quran education as “one of the happiest achievements the Maldives has seen as an Islamic country.”

He also highlighted that the Maldives is seeing positive outcomes due to political stability and peace, and urged the public to work together to uphold the country’s Islamic identity with unity and strength.

At Sunday evening’s ceremony, 31 individuals who completed memorisation of the Quran received their Hafiz certificates.