Religion in the Maldives
Islam in the Maldives is primarily represented by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, which oversees religious affairs and promotes Islamic values and teachings in the country. Additionally, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs plays a significant role in advising the government on matters related to Islam and ensuring the adherence to Islamic principles in Maldivian society. Mosques and religious scholars also contribute to the representation and practice of Islam in the Maldives.
In the Maldives, while Islam is the predominant religion and holds the status of the state religion, there are small communities of other faiths present in the country. These communities include Christians,
History
The significant role played by Arab traders in the Indian Ocean during the 12th century likely contributed to the conversion of
Introduction of Islam
Arab interest in the Maldives also was reflected in the residence there in the 1340s of
However, certain scholars have proposed the possibility that Ibn Battuta might have misinterpreted Maldivian texts, potentially influenced by a bias or preference for the North African Maghrebi/Berber narrative surrounding this Shaykh. This theory suggests that Ibn Battuta may have overlooked or downplayed the alternative account of East African origins, which was also known during that period.[11]
Statistics
Religious affiliations
Since the Maldives requires that citizenship status be based on adherence to the state religion, census from religion are not taken, since then—the Maldives' biggest religion is Sunni Islam, with a percentage of 100. However, including the foreigners living in the country, Muslims become a percentage of 98.69%.[1]
Non-Muslim foreigners, including more than 500,000 tourists who visit annually (predominantly
Year | Maldivian citizens religion by percentage |
---|---|
1950 | 99.9% Muslims
|
1970 | 99.8% Muslims
|
2000 | 98.4% Muslims
|
2020 | 98.7% Muslims
|
Other
Religion | Percentage |
---|---|
Islam | 98.69 percent |
Christianity | 0.29 percent |
Hindu
|
0.29 percent |
Non—Religious | 0.06 percent |
Buddhists
|
0.65 percent |
Baha'is
|
0.03 percent |
Islam
Islam is the predominant religion of the country and is recognised as the state's official religion.[13][14] It is practised by about 99 percent of Maldivians.[15] Numerous significant Muslim holy days are celebrated as national holidays in the Maldives, including Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan; Eid al-Adha, commemorating the end of the Hajj pilgrimage. Islam is thought to have been brought to the Maldives around the 12th century by Abu Barakat Yusuf—Al barbari, a Moroccan traveller.[16]
Embedded within the framework of the 2008 Constitution of the Maldives is the unequivocal mandate stipulating the obligatory adherence to Islam for every individual under the jurisdiction of the nation. This constitutional provision underscores the paramount importance of Islamic principles within the legal and societal fabric of the Maldives. Enshrined within this document is the recognition of Islam as the state religion, thereby establishing its pervasive influence across various facets of Maldivian life. By enacting this constitutional requirement, the Maldives reaffirms its commitment to upholding Islamic values, customs, and traditions as integral components of its national identity and cultural heritage. Consequently, all residents, citizens, and visitors within the territorial boundaries of the Maldives are bound by the legal imperative to observe and respect the tenets of Islam, reflecting the deeply ingrained significance of the faith within the socio-political landscape of the country.
Christianity
Citizens in the Maldives who seek to convert to Christianity face the consequence of automatic loss of their citizenship.
The presence of the Portuguese in the region marked the introduction of Christianity to the Maldives. However, rather than genuine conversion, the adoption of Christianity among the Maldivians was primarily motivated by the severe persecution and torture inflicted by the Portuguese upon those who adhered to Islam. Faced with the choice between conversion and survival, some locals reluctantly embraced Christianity. In 1558, the Portuguese established a modest garrison with a Viador (Viyazoru), overseeing a trading post in the Maldives, which they governed from their principal colony in Goa. Despite their efforts to impose Christianity on the populace, only a portion of the nobility succumbed to conversion.[18]
Buddhism
Buddhism was the state religion of Maldives before 1153 CE.[19] Maldives converted to Islam in that year. Recent archaeological evidence proves that until the advent of Islam, the Buddhist religion had existed in the country. Buddhist relics and ruins of monasteries have been found in many islands. Additional evidence of a Buddhistic past was found in late 12th century copperplate grants, translated in the 1980s.[20]
Buddhism spread to the Maldives in the 3rd century BCE, at the time of
Although Bell claimed that the ancient
According to a legend in
The copperplate grants, or
Hinduism
Before embracing Buddhism as their way of life, Maldivians had practised an ancient form of Hinduism, ritualistic traditions known as Śrauta, in the form of venerating the Surya (the ancient ruling caste were of Aadheetta or Suryavanshi origins).[26] Hinduism in the Maldives describes the practice of the Hindu religion in the Maldives archipelago. Evidence suggests that Hinduism had a presence in pre-Islamic Maldives.[27] Archaeological remains survive from the 8th or 9th century CE portraying Hindu deities such as Shiva, Lakshmi and the sage Agastya.[28]
Maldivian folklore contains legends about the sage
Freedom of religion
The
As of 2021[update], freedom of religion remained significantly restricted. Individual
References
- ^ a b "Regional Profiles: Maldives". The Association of Religion Data Archives. World Religion Database.
- ^ "Religious Beliefs In The Maldives". World Atlas. 8 November 2018. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ "2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Maldives". United States Department. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "National Profiles | World Religion". www.thearda.com. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "Christians Expelled from Maldives". Christianity Today. 7 September 1998.
- ^ Bill, Struthers (31 October 2023). "What Religion is Maldives? An Overview of Faith in the Maldivian Islands". WhatReligionIs. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ OCLC 32508646. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.)
{{cite encyclopedia}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link - ^ Ibn Battuta, Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-1354, tr. and ed. H. A. R. Gibb (London: Broadway House, 1929)
- ^ "Maldives Culture – Explore The Beauty of Maldives".
- ^ The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveller of the Fourteenth Century
- ^ Honchell, Stephanie (2018), Sufis, Sea Monsters, and Miraculous Circumcisions: Comparative Conversion Narratives and Popular Memories of Islamization, Fairleigh Dickinson University and the University of Cape Town, p. 5,
In reference to Ibn Battuta's Moroccan theory of this figure, citation 8 of this text mentions, that other accounts identify Abu al-Barakat Yusuf al-Barbari as East African or Persian. But as fellow Maghribi, Ibn Battuta likely felt partial to the Moroccan version.
- ^ "Maldives". 14 September 2007.
- ^ "International Religious Freedom Report 2006". UNHCR. United States Department of Stat. Retrieved 15 September 2006.
- ^ "Maldives's Constitution of 2008" (PDF). constituteproject.org. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ "In the Maldives, an ominous rise in intolerant Islam". The Economist. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "MUSLIM PERIOD OF THE MALDIVES (1153 to 1968): ARRIVAL OF ISLAM, IBN BATTUTA, ARCHAEOLOGY, AND SULTANS". Facts and Details. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ISBN 9780199329069.
- ^ Division, American University (Washington, D. C. ) Foreign Areas Studies; Stoddard, Theodore Lothrop (1971). Area Handbook for the Indian Ocean Territories: Co-authors: Theodore L. Stoddard [and Others] Prepared for the American University by the Institute for Cross-Cultural Research. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 27.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Struthers, Bill. "What Religion is Maldives? An Overview of Faith in the Maldivian Islands". WhatReligionIs. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ Mohamed, Naseema. "Pre—Islamic Maldives" (PDF). Qumiyyath.gov.mv. National Centre for Linguistic and Historical Research. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2007.
- HCP Bell, The Máldive Islands: An account of the Physical Features, History, Inhabitants, Productions and Trade. Colombo 1883
- ISBN 84-7254-801-5
- ^ Maniku, Wijeyawardhana 1986 p.1
- ^ Bouchon. 1988 p.225
- ^ Mohamed, Naseema. "Pre-Islamic Maldives" (PDF). Two Thousand Isles.
- ^ "TRADE AND BUDDHIST KINGDOMS IN THE ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL MALDIVES". Facts and Details. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ISSN 0044-8613.
- ^ ISBN 84-7254-801-5
- ^ "Maldives" (PDF).
- ^ "2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Maldives". 2022.
- ^ "Maldives enacts regulation for death penalty". Al Jazeera English. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
- ^ "Maldives should repeal new regulation providing for death penalty, says UN rights office". UN News Centre. United Nations. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2017.