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Advent Prayer - Maldives

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Published: Thursday 22 December 2011

Advent Prayer - Maldives

Country: Maldives, South and East Asia

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!” Luke 2:14

Christian tourists visiting this tropical paradise may worship only in private. If they are caught sharing their faith with Maldivians they are immediately arrested or deported (Source: azaldin, Flickr)

Behind the island “paradise” lies a darker reality for all Maldivian residents who are not Muslims. In terms of religious freedom the collection of over 200 islands south-west of India is one of the most restrictive countries in the world.

The country’s law requires all citizens to be Muslims; non-Muslims may not vote or hold public positions. All government regulations are based on its interpretation of sharia. The media is banned from producing or broadcasting any programme “that humiliates Allah or his prophets or the holy Quran”. In October 2009 Sheikh Shaheem Ali Saeed, state minister of Islamic affairs, said that places of worship for non-Muslim religions could not be built in the country: “We will not accept it under any circumstances. It cannot be done. All Maldivians are Muslims.”

The very small number of indigenous Christians are ostracised, discriminated against and carefully watched. They practise their faith individually and in extreme secrecy for fear of being discovered. In 2010 a handful of Maldivians identified themselves as Christians in blogs.

Christians among the 100,000 foreign workers and 675,000 tourists who visit the island annually are allowed to practise their faith only in private. They may not share their faith with Maldivians or worship with them, and are immediately deported or arrested if caught. It is also illegal to carry or display in public books on religions other than Islam. In October 2011 a Christian teacher from India who was working in a school on Raa Attol was arrested for transferring Christian songs on to a school laptop and keeping a Bible in his home. At the time of writing he was still detained in prison.

Ask the Lord to strengthen the few Maldivian Christians, who are living out their faith in secrecy. Pray that they will find ways to grow in that faith and to tel the Good News to their neighbours. Pray too for expatriate Christians, who are also severely restricted, that they may be encouraged in their faith and find ways of sharing it with Maldivian Muslims. Pray that the growth of Islamism in the last seven years will stop. Pray that God’s truth and light will shine into the hearts of all Maldivians and that the government will cease its repression and allow Christians to live in peace and freedom.