By Afshain Afzal

The Republic of Maldives comprises 1,190 islands, stretched over 348 square miles in the Indian Ocean. The nation is 100 percent Sunni Muslims and the constitution provides that the President, cabinet ministers, members of parliament, and judges must be Sunni Muslims. Tourism is the main source of economic and foreign exchange earnings for Maldives.  In 2018, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih of the Maldivian Democratic Party was elected president, running on a platform of economic and political reforms and transparency, following former President Abdulla Yameen Gayoom, who was President of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018 and Western critics claimed his term in office was marked by corruption, systemic limitations on the independence of parliament and the judiciary, and restrictions on freedom of speech, press, and association. 

If we recall in September 2018, President Abdulla Yameen Gayoom railed against “a plot by the Western-backed opposition to undermine Islam” He highlighted opponents for promoting “Western standards which are intolerable to Maldivian society and values”. “What does the opposition offer? Criticizing Western motive, he said, “What do they do in the name of Western-backed democracy? They protest to seek rights for homosexuals.” In the meantime, Police removed 30 statues “human model sculptures” at the art gallery in Fairmont Maldives, Sirru Fenfushi, designed by British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor as habitat for coral and other marine species. It was claimed to be “The world’s first semi-submerged art gallery”. Shortly after the raid, Jamiyyath Salaf, a religious organization that lobbies for strict Islamic law, declared its support for the president. It was all engineered to punish President Abdulla Yameen Gayoom for not bending before the Western pressure to do away with strict Islamic compliance in Maldives.

If we analyze, the Maldivian Constitution and law provides propagation of any religion other than Islam is a criminal offense. The law criminalizes “criticism of Islam” and speech “in a manner likely to cause religious segregation.” The law prohibits the conversion of a Muslim to another religion. Propagation of any religion other than Islam is a criminal offense, punishable by prison or house arrest. The Maldivian penal code prescribes flogging for unlawful sexual intercourse (adultery, fornication, and same-sex relations), incest, false accusation of unlawful sexual intercourse and consuming pork or alcohol. One of the main objections by the Western tourists is that due to Maldivian religious and cultural aspect women are discouraged from seeking employment on distant islands away from family.

Maldives being purely a hundred percent Muslim country, a multi-million-dollar project, "Maldives National Museum" was gifted by the Chinese government in 2010. Many local visitors lodged protests to the museum staff that its Buddhist era sculpture was a modern forgery. Historical books including H. C. P. Bell’s research in 1922 claimed that many Maldivian ruins have the Buddhist ingredients. In November 2011, a “Pagan Monuments” representing the culture and religion of the eight SAARC nations was placed at Hithadhoo, Addu City for the summit. A group of protesters knocked down what they called “idolatrous” carvings engraved on the monument whereas it was claimed that the symbols were ancient civilisation of SAARC country. In this momentum on 7 February 2012, protesters attacked Chinese gifted museum storage room and exhibition hall which was full of Buddhist and Hindu artifacts. All idols including Prakrit Dharani from Lndhoo were destroyed. A Maldivian writer claimed that non-Muslims want to project forged self-engineered history of Maldivian culture by Clarence Maloney and Xavier Romero-Frias in Maldives. Many of the Maldivian political leaders and social workers abroad are being convinced to get Maldivian culture as idol worshipper by westerners translated in Dhivehi language of Maldives.

The Belitung Shipwreck, also called the Tang shipwreck or Batu Hitam shipwreck (Tang Dynasty 618-907), was found by local fishermen off the Belitung Island, Indonesia, in 1998. The Arabian ship sailed possibly between Oman and China during the 9^th Century AD and evidence suggests it travelled on the so-called Maritime Silk Route even when it mainly transported ceramic.  The majority of the recovered cargo (63,000 pieces) consists of ceramics, most of which are Changsha ware. The cargo also represents the biggest single collection of Tang Dynasty artefacts found in one location, and because of that is also called the "Tang Treasure”. The findings from the original exploration were shown at the Art Science Museum in Singapore and closed in October 2011.

One wonders when Maldivian nation is 100 percent Sunni Muslims and have working constitution based on Islamic Shariat or whatever law, what business the Western and non-Muslim nations got to introduce democratic and human rights reforms in a sovereign country. Article 2(1) of the Charter of the United Nations, “The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members,” while Article 78 provides “… relationship among which shall be based on respect for the principle of sovereign equality.” United Nations ensures full respect for the self-determination and sovereignty as well as people and Government to resolve their internal problems without any foreign interference. Even for the United Nations Article 2, paragraph 7 provides, “Non-intervention in the internal affairs of States by the United Nations”. In such a case why intervention in the internal affairs of Maldives and other Islamic nations is taking place in the garb of other State-government International Non-Governmental Organizations, International Organizations and Think Tanks. How long we will tolerate interference by foreign government to destroy peace and harmony of independent nations leading to chaos and internal disorder.