#BoycottMaldives is trending after the controversial remarks of Maldivian leaders on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Many people have canceled their plans for Maldives. Many things related to this country are also coming to light, like per capita, highest number of Maldivians joined ISIS. According to the US State Department, there is also a cell of Islamic State in a city there.
The three ministers of the Maldives government who made objectionable comments regarding Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep have been suspended. Even after this, the anger of Indians is not subsiding. Meanwhile, while trying to control the dam, the government there is continuously citing the friendship between the two countries. All this is happening because the economy of Maldives is largely dependent on Indian tourists. Every year lakhs of Indians go there for holidays.
What is the extent of fundamentalism? Now Lakshadweep can replace it. By the way, even America has said about the Sunni majority Maldives that it is an extremely extremist country, whose people have a soft attitude towards terrorists. To a large extent this is also true. This country, which once had a Buddhist population, rapidly changed to a Muslim population. Now the situation is such that non-Muslims do not even get citizenship here.
Historians believe that the rulers of Maldives were from the Chola Empire of India. But then how did this country become completely Islamic? There are different opinions about how Indian rulers reached Maldives.
What historians believe: Most scholars believe that even before the Chola Empire, Kalinga king Brahmaditya ruled there. This is from the 9th century. After this, the Chola dynasty reached there through royal marriages. Maldives was ruled by Mahabarna Aditya in the 11th century, evidence of which is still found on inscriptions there. Even before the last Buddhist king converted to Islam, Buddhism was already flourishing there. In the third century BC, most of the population there was Buddhist. After the arrival of Hindu kings, both the religions continued to grow together. Even now Buddhist stupas are found on more than 50 islands there. But most of them have either been destroyed or broken.
The last Buddhist king Dhowemi converted to Islam in the year 1153 and his name was Muhammad Ibn Abdullah. But how did this actually happen? Arab traders had been visiting this island country for a long time. Initially it was all about business, but gradually they started propagating their religion. After the conversion of the king, almost the entire population adopted Muslim religion and the country was Islamized. This is mentioned in a book named ‘Note on the Early History of Maldives’. Extremists are increasing in Maldives. (Photo- Getty Images) This is the kind of religious environment.
This island country located in the Indian Ocean is now 98 percent Muslim. The remaining 2 percent belong to other religions, but they are not allowed to practice their religious symbols or celebrate festivals in public. Even if someone wants Maldivian citizenship, he has to be a Muslim, that too a Sunni Muslim. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs (MIA) controls religious matters here. Non-Muslims cannot practice religion in public. Although this is a tourist country, tourists are also prohibited from practicing their religion here. They cannot worship in public places. The US report also approved.
The US Department of State released a report on Religious Freedom in Maldives in the year 2022. It was told that three Indian tourists were arrested for installing idols of God on the island there. There are about 29 thousand Indians living in the country, but either they have adopted Islam, or hide their official religion.