The image of a carefree holiday paradise that comes to mind when thinking about the Maldives stands in stark contrast to the fact that on 7 August 2008 the Maldives became one of the world’s worst countries in regard to religious freedom. On that day then-President Gayoom signed a new constitution, which states that “a non- Muslim may not become a citizen of the Maldives”. While under the previous constitution Maldivian Christians and other non-Muslims were excluded “only” from voting in elections, they have now been stripped of citizen rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of movement and habeas corpus.

The Maldives is known as a holiday paradise. What few people know is that it is one of the most restrictive countries in terms of religious freedom

For a long time Buddhism was the dominant religion in the Maldives, but from the 12th century onwards, Islam began strongly to shape Maldivian identity, resulting in today’s widespread assumption (now formalised in law) that a Maldivian citizen is automatically also a Muslim. The majority of Maldivians regard Islam as one of their society’s most distinctive characteristics and as a means of promoting national identity and harmony. The few Maldivian and foreign Christians in the country are carefully watched, and some experienced severe persecution during the 1990s when the authorities urged Maldivians to report anyone who practised a religion different from that prescribed by the Government. Thus a young boy betrayed his Christian mother to the authorities after he had been encouraged at school to mention anyone he knew whose belief was different from what he was taught. As a result 15 Maldivian women – Christians and friends of Christians – were detained at a political prison on Dhoonidhoo, a small island close to the capitals Male.