What is God Doing in the Maldives?

Maldives         

Population: 321,000

Capital:    Male

People Groups:  8

Main Religion: Islam 99.5%

All Christians: 0.1%

"The Martyrs' Voice" and other Christian organisations reported about the Maldives' governments frenetic attempts to prevent the spread of Christianity on the islands, through which the government also admitted that Christianity has gained a foothold in the republic. Since 21 July 1998, they have expelled up to 25 foreign Christians from the islands, often without questioning and following confiscation of personal belongings. They have also arrested around 50 Maldivians suspected of being Christians. Missions researcher Patrick Johnstone ('Operation World') considers the Maldives to be one of the least evangelised nations in the world, with no official indigenous Christians. The Maldive Islands have a population of some 260,000, and have been an officially 100% Sunnite Moslem nation for over 800 years. In the government's opinion, it should stay that way: the nation's president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is addressing the matter personally. Officially, the Maldives are a UN member, and hence bound by Article 18 of the Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees religious freedom. The nation's main income, aside from fishing, is mainly from European and Japanese tourists. One of the reasons for the government's sudden concern is a family programme broadcast from the Seychelles by the evangelical radio mission FEBC in the Maldivian national language Dhivehi. In early June, a national court for Islamic affairs called on the population to boycott the programme. Almost everyone ignored the appeal, and the number of listeners increased enormously following the free and extremely effective advertising.  WEF Religious Liberty Conference, July 1998

 

Aneesa Hussain, a young woman who was among about 50 believers arrested in the Maldive Islands off the coast of India this summer, is imprisoned in a small cell in a cement block building with a tin roof. She and the other believers are forced to read the Qur'an and recite the five ritual daily prayers of Islam. Reports from the island indicate the believers are being physically abused. The Maldivan government continues to ignore protests of the arrests, though President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom reportedly traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland, to receive a Christian knighthood from Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. Ask God to strengthen and protect these Maldivan believers as they endure persecution for their faith. Pray that God would use them to draw others to Christ during their imprisonment. Ask God to touch the heart of President Gayoom and bring about the release of these believers.  Advance, September-October 1998