Over 100 copies of the Holy Quran were collected during the past three months from the garbage dump site by a citizen of Male’, reports MNBC One.
Most of the Quran copies found by Ahmed Shareef were unused and brand new, he said.
Shareef said that he donated one-third of the books to the Islamic Ministry while the rest were in his possession for safekeeping.
A media official from the Islamic Ministry told MNBC One that a public announcement had been made twice before urging people to drop used copies at the ministry for proper and respectful disposal.
He added that the ministry was assisted by the Maldives National Defence Force in the disposal process.
MNBC One meanwhile warns that “a wave of fire” struck Turkey in 1998 after a similar incident of disrespecting the Quran occurred in the country.