Accra: The issue of mishandling the Quran in state institutions was brought to the fore during the Public Accountability Committee (PAC) sitting held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.

Safiya Salifu, the headmistress of Islamic Girls Senior High School, Suhum, raised concerns when she met the committee over matters of unearned salaries among former staff of the school.

At the end of her session with the committee, she appealed that a Muslim should oversee the keeping of the Quran, which is the most sacred book for Muslims worldwide.

“We don’t put anything on top of the Quran, and yet it is being mixed up with other documents,” she said.

She explained that, “we must get a separate box to keep the Quran in and probably get a Muslim to distribute it because we perform ablution before we touch it.”

In response, the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, Abena Osei-Asare, and Member of Parliament for Atiwa East said the Quran and other religious books are “instruments of work” which are placed on the table for people to swear with them.

People swear in holy books to emphasise truthfulness and guarantee promises. By placing a hand on a sacred text, individuals invoke a higher power, acknowledging that lying carries severe moral or spiritual consequences.

In most state institutions, the Quran is one of the sacred texts used for swearing into office, testifying or swearing an oath.

The use of the Holy Quran is guided by certain practices such as the performing of ablution before touching a raw copy, placing it above all other books or materials and keeping it in a clean and tidy place.

Unfortunately, most of the staff in charge of handling the sacred texts in public institutions are non-Muslims, hence a source of concern for many Muslims.