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Freedom of religion in Maldives

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The2008 ConstitutionofMaldivesdesignatesSunni Islamas thestate religion.Only Sunni Muslims are allowed to hold citizenship in the country and citizens may practice Sunni Islam only. Non-Muslim citizens of other nations can practice their faith only in private and are barred from evangelizing or propagating their faith. All residents are required to teach their children the Muslim faith. The president, ministers, parliamentarians, and chiefs of theatollsare required to beSunni Muslims.Government regulations are based onIslamic law.Only certified Muslim scholars can givefatawa.[1]

As of 2021,freedom of religion remained significantly restricted. Individualsocietal abusesand discrimination based on religious beliefs or practices have been reported. According to many officials and interlocutors, most citizens regarded Islam as one of their society's most distinctive characteristics and believed that having it established as the state religion promotes harmony and national identity.[2]Since 2014,apostasy from Islamhas beenpunishable by death.

Religions demography[edit]

See also:Islam in Maldives

The country has an area of 500 square miles (1,300 km2) distributed across 1,200 coral atolls and islands, with a population of around 450,000.

The population is a distinct ethnic group with historical roots inSouth Indian,Sinhalese,andArabcommunities[citation needed].The vast majority of the Muslim population practicesSunni Islam.

Non-Muslim foreigners, including more than 500,000 tourists who visit annually (predominantlyEuropeansandChinese) and approximately 54,000 foreign workers (mainlyPakistanis,Sri Lankans,Indians,andBangladeshis), are in general allowed to practice their religions only in private. Although Muslim tourists and Muslim foreign workers are allowed to attend localmosqueservices, in the past most practice Islam in private or at mosques located at the resorts where they work and live.[3]

The government states that the country is 100% Muslim.[4]Independent figures in 2020 showed that the country is 98.69% Muslim, 0.65%Buddhist,0.29%Christianand 0.29%Hindu;there is also a small number ofBaha'isandagnostics.[5]

Status of religious freedom[edit]

Legal and policy framework[edit]

Freedom of religion is significantly restricted. The constitution designates Islam as the state religion and requires citizens to be Muslim;[4]it also stipulates that the President must be Sunni Muslim.

The constitution specifies that judges must use sharia law in deciding matters not otherwise addressed; sharia is not considered applicable to non-Muslims.[4]

Foreigners were not allowed to import any items deemed "contrary to Islam," including alcohol, pork products, or idols for worship. Alcoholic beverages were available to tourists on resort islands, but it remains against the law to offer alcohol to a local citizen.[4]

Men who wish to act as imams must sit for public exams. Certified imams must use government-approved sermons in Friday services.[4]

Islam is a compulsory subject for all primary and secondary school students.[4]

Religious conversions and persecution of individuals[edit]

In 2010, Ismail Mohamed Didi, a Maldivianatheistwho was being investigated for his "lack of belief" and had sought asylum in Britain, allegedly committed suicide.[6][7]

On 29 May 2010, Mohamed Nazim, a student ofphilosophyfrom a devout Muslim family, was at a public meeting in the Maldives discussing the subject of religion. He declared at the meeting that his own comparative studies on philosophy had meant he could not accept Islam, and declared himself to be anatheist.He was immediately arrested, under the pretext of saving him from being attacked for his beliefs by others at the meeting.[8]After three days of intense counseling, he publicly converted back to Islam.[9]Even so, the Maldivian Police submitted his case to their public prosecutors office as of 29 August 2010.[10]

Death penaltyfor apostasy from Islam (along with certain other offenses) was incorporated into Maldivian law on 27 April 2014 for any person aged above 7 years.[11]

Societal abuses and discrimination[edit]

According to theSpecial Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief's February 2007 report, "members of local congregations on some of the islands do not allow foreign manual laborers to attend the mosque." The government denied these allegations.

When the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief visited the Maldives' only prison, she found non-Muslim prisoners "unable to perform their prayers due to the objections of their Maldivian cellmates." There were no accommodations made forHinduprisoners with dietary restrictions.

The Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief also reported on the issue of women wearingheadscarves.She received reports that women were being pressured to cover by relatives, other citizens, self-proclaimed preachers, or newly formed political parties. Furthermore, she was told that women began to cover after state-owned media reported that the 2004tsunamiwas the "result of Maldivians failing to live in accordance with Islam." There was one report of a female student who was excluded from school for wearing a headscarf.

On Human Rights Day, 10 December 2011, protesters led byIsmail Khilath Rasheed,calling themselves ‘Silent Solidarity’, gathered at the Artificial Beach to protest religious intolerance in the Maldives. They were attacked and threatened.[12]

The Centre for Civil and Political rights, based in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Human Rights Committee are working to establish new guidelines with the Maldivian government on human rights. The Committee has welcomed the following legislative and institutional measures taken by the State: The removal by the Parliament, in 2008, of the gender bar on running for presidency; the enactment of the Anti-Domestic Violence Act, in April 2012. The July 27, 2012, Human Rights Committee report listed more recommendations and principal matters of concern and expressed hope that the Maldivan State Party would continue on its path for equal rights, freedom of religion, and decriminalization of same-sex relationships.[13][better source needed]

In 2023, the country was scored zero out of 4 for religious freedom;[14]it was also noted that non-Muslim foreigners are only permitted to observe their religions privately.

According toOpen Doors,the country was rated as the 15th worst place in the world to be a Christian.[15]


See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Maldives"(PDF).
  2. ^"2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Maldives".2022.
  3. ^"Maldives".14 September 2007.
  4. ^abcdef"US State Dept 2022 report - Maldives".9 August 2023.
  5. ^World Religion Database at the ARDA website, retrieved 2023-08-08
  6. ^"Maldives atheist who felt persecuted 'hangs himself'".BBC News.15 July 2010.
  7. ^"Atheist Kills Himself to Escape" 100 percent Muslim "Nation | International Humanist and Ethical Union".Archived fromthe originalon 2010-07-25.Retrieved2010-10-28.
  8. ^"Haveeru Online - Maldivian renounces Islam, gets attacked by Zakir Naik audience".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-08-10.Retrieved2011-08-07.
  9. ^"Haveeru Online - Maldivian who renounced Islam reverts".Archived fromthe originalon 2010-06-03.Retrieved2010-10-28.
  10. ^"Haveeru Online - Police file case against Nazim, despite reversion".Archived fromthe originalon 2010-09-10.Retrieved2010-10-28.
  11. ^"Maldives enacts regulation for death penalty".Al Jazeera English.1 May 2014.Retrieved12 November2017.
  12. ^"Protesters calling for religious tolerance attacked with stones, threatened with death".Minivan News. 2011-12-10. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-01-05.Retrieved2011-12-10.
  13. ^http://thebesttropicalvacationspots /human-rights-commitee-report-the-maldives-7272012/
  14. ^Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-08
  15. ^Open Doors website, retrieved 2023-08-08

Further reading[edit]

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