Please Pray for the Few Christians in Maldives – World Watch List # 6

Please Pray for the Few Christians in Maldives – World Watch List #6

Peanut Gallery: Sharia law in “paradise”… no place for Christians.

2013, Novemer 13, News from Maldives: “An American citizen linked to the Bangladeshi who was caught bringing books on Christianity written in Dhivehi into the country, has been blacklisted and banned from entering the Maldives. Maldives Customs said that the American, Kevin Thomas Greenson, was blacklisted following the collection of sufficient evidence by the Police of his connection with the Bangladeshi, Jathis Biswas, 44. Jathis Biswas has also been deported, following accusations of spreading other religions in Maldives in cooperation with a group of Maldivians. Customs found 11 books on Christianity with Jathis Biswas, who arrived in Maldives on 27 September 2012 on Sri Lankan Airlines.” (SunOnline)

The Maldivian economy is to a large degree based on tourism.

This is the only country in the world which requires all citizens to be Muslim. [The government does not distinguish between national and expat believers.] Conversion to another faith is prohibited by law and converts face extreme persecution from family and society – often having to leave the country. The authorities exert extensive control on the people to correct any deviation from Islam. There are no church gatherings or buildings. Religion is moving towards Deobandi Islam – the religion of the Taliban, whose mission is to cleanse Islam of all other influences. There are very few indigenous Christians. (Open Doors UK)

Pray:

For the handful of secret believers to grow in the love of God
For young people who seek education outside the islands. Pray that they will receive the gospel and return to share it with their communities
That the translation of the New Testament into the Dhivehi language would be completed.

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Open Doors Background: The Maldives are well-known as a dream destination for holidays. The islands are located in the midst of the Indian Ocean, surrounded by blue water and white beaches stretched out under the blazing sun. This is the picture authorities want to give to the outside world. The harsh attitude the government takes towards all Christian believers is less known, darkening the lovely picture of the country considerably. Nothing substantial has changed during the last reporting period, resulting in no changes in ranking or points for the Maldives on the 2012 World Watch List.

maldives 2 — Islam is the official religion of the Maldives and open practice of any other religion is forbidden and liable to prosecution.

As every Maldivian citizen has to be Muslim, all deviant religious convictions are strictly forbidden. The government does not distinguish between national and expat believers. The tiny number of indigenous believers is not able to meet publicly, let alone worship together. On the contrary, they have to practice their faith in utmost secrecy, always in fear of being discovered.

There is extensive control by the authorities to correct any deviation from the path of Islam. The Wahhabi form of Islam arrived in the 1990s and radical Islam was rarely associated with the Maldives until September 2007 when a bomb exploded in the capital. This posed a great challenge to the seemingly peaceful country. The September 2011 amendment to the Protection of Religious Unity Act reinforced Islam as an inseparable part of a Maldivian’s cultural identity.

While the authorities closely monitor all religious activities that they perceive to be suspicious, social control also remains extremely high. Maldivian citizens agree with the heavy handed authorities because they see freedom of religion as freedom to discuss religious issues related to Islam. This freedom was non-existent under the former regime governing the country. Maldivian society demonstrates this attitude towards all kinds of beliefs or convictions, be it Christianity or Atheism. Additionally, the government has increased control of all media.

According to an amendment made to the “Protection of Religious Unity Act” in September 2011, every person must avoid creating hatred towards people of other religions. While this may initially sound good, it effectively reinforces the existing government policy that Islam is an inseparable part of a Maldivian’s cultural identity. The legislation, forbidding the practice of any religion except Islam, is thus confirmed once again. Commentators therefore stated that the official direction religion is taking in the country will be toward Deoband Islam, the same ideology which informs the Taliban’s convictions.

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The museum exhibits were not meant to promote any other religion, Waheed said.

Wikipedia Background: The Maldives ranks high on the list of governments that restrict religious freedom. In 2011, a mob destroyed a monument with an engraved image of the Buddha in it. In 2012, 35 Buddhist and Hindu artifacts, from the 6th century BC, were destroyed from the Maldives’ National Museum by suspected Islamic law enforcers.^[71] Ali Waheed (the director of National Museum of the Maldives) stated: “The collection was totally, totally smashed. The whole pre-Islamic history is gone.”^[72] Pieces destroyed, included the “Bohomala sculptures, Hanuman statues, and a sculpture of the Hindu water god, Makara. The two five-faced statues from Male were also brutally damaged. This five-faced male was the only remaining archaeological evidence of a Buddhist era in Maldives and it too was destroyed, completely destroying any true history of the country. In addition an 11th century coral stone of the Lord Buddha was also wiped out.^[73] After that, Scholars and museums in a number of countries offered help in restoring the damaged statues.