Programme launched to teach Quran with braille

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih launched Tuesday night a programme to teach how to recite the Holy Quran using braille.

The programme was organised by the Islamic ministry as part of the new administration’s pledge of providing essential religious information to persons with disabilities. A separate programme to offer religious instruction using sign language was also inaugurated.

Speaking at the ceremony, Islamic Minister Dr Ahmed Zahid Ali announced plans to conduct two sessions a month to deaf children and translate Friday sermons into sign language.

“God willing, [deaf children] will very soon have the opportunity to visit the mosque to listen to the sermon,” he said.

The ceremony ended with Zaya Ahmed Zubair, a 13-year-old visually impaired girl, reciting the Quran using braille.

A survey in 2012 found that more than 2,000 people are visually impaired in the Maldives, a majority of whom were illiterate.

A braille code in Dhivehi was introduced in December 2015.