First ever Buddhist temple in centuries shocks Maldivians :: Maldives News :: Dhivehi Observer

Editorial

First ever Buddhist temple in centuries upsets Maldivians

A.S.I. Moosa (Sappe'), Editor-in-Chief, Dhivehi Observer, 18 March 2007

Maldives converted to Islam in 1153 AD. Buddhism was the main religion for well over 1000 years before, but since conversion Maldives has remained officially a 100% Islamic nation, of the Sunni faction, at least officially.

Generally speaking, religion is a taboo subject in the Maldives and preaching other faiths in not only against the constitution but also against the traditions and cultures. However, there is no specific provision in the constitution that prohibits a Maldivian from converting but once converted, one would lose the right to vote and stand for any of the elected offices. This goes for those Maldivians who become citizens by birth, where at least one parent is a Maldivian citizen. However, any one wanting to naturalise and become a Maldivian citizen must convert to Islam (Sunni faction specifically). There have been reports that a few Maldivians have converted to other faiths over the years but no such records exists. These are mostly Maldivians who live abroad and off-springs of mixed marriages. Hence, the claim by Gayyoom that the Maldives is a 100% Muslim country is not entirely true. However, there is no movement or campaign that is canvassing for religious freedom in the country, perhaps because such a movement could not gather momentum mainly because the vast majority are quite content and happy with their faith, Islam.

The Maldives Dictator is supposedly an Islamic Scholar, a graduate from Azhar University in Egypt, specializing in Sharia Law. When he took over power (through a covert coup) in 1978, many had hoped that he would be a good ruler, given his Islamic scholarly credentials. But, what followed from then on was quite the opposite of what the people had anticipated.

Gayyoom has from the very beginning used Islam as a tool to oppress and manipulate the people of the Maldives, as is the common scenario in most Arab and Muslim countries across the globe. He has continuously accused his critics and opposition members of being missionaries of other faiths, either Christianity or Buddhism, wanting to spread these religions in the country. Evidence of this can be clearly seen in his propaganda machinery, including his websites, local TV and radio, both of which are state owned and strictly controlled by his government. In addition to this, explicit allegations to the effect have been made by him and his cronies in several of their speeches and comments to the local media, never to the international media. In the past, when Gayyoom had total control over local media, many people genuinely believed his propaganda but it is not the case anymore. For example, in the early days of the on-going democracy movement - which became the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) - such allegations were thrown at them on a daily basis by Gayyoom's propaganda machinery. But, the movement remained focused on its agenda, which was to bring democracy and justice to the nation, which is prevailing at a sensible pace, with the support and trust of the people of the Maldives as well as the international community.

The vast majority of the Maldivian people want the religious unity in the country to remain so, hence most politicians do not see that as a problem either. "Our first and foremost objective is to rid the country off this brutal dictatorship and establish the rule of law," said a long serving member of the parliament. He added further, "Human rights abuses, torture and oppression, are the main issues that concerns us and our movement and the root cause is for all these problems is that we have an evil man presiding over almost every affair of our tiny nation."

This image of a temple in a Maldivian resort, which was exposed on DO last Friday, has upset many Maldivians. The temple was built as part of a grand ceremony on the request of billionaire Sir Phillip Green, who had apparently booked the whole island for his 55th Birthday party. Of course, there are some who will argue that there is nothing wrong with it, but the common man has spoken and they do not feel comfortable about it at all. Some are even scared that this might bring bad luck to not just Baa Atoll but the whole of the Maldives.

So, the question is, isn't it Gayyoom who is the key threat to the religious unity in our country? And, since religious unity is non-negotiable for the vast majority of the people of the Maldives, isn't it time we remove this threat once and for all, so we could all live in a spirit of solidarity, with justice, respect and tolerance?

click here to visit kobaaNet