Visit Maldives: Christian literature and Bible seized at airport from tourist's luggage

Sun, Sea, Sand and Sharia Law ~ The Maldives

The Maldives is considered a 100 per cent Muslim country, and under the constitution, only Sunni Muslims can be citizens.

Minivan > 8 October 2009

See also: Swiss tourist questioned by police for distributing Christian literature to resort workers
Minivan > 4 October 2009

Customs seized literature and CDs promoting Christianity in Dhivehi from a South African tourist at the airport yesterday.

After searching Robert Ian Willeman’s luggage, customs officers found six video CDs, six books, 17 leaflets and one Bible. According to Customs, Willeman was to stay for two days at a guest house in Thulusdhoo. He had previously travelled to the Maldives in 2003.

Non-Islamic items can only be imported with special permission from the Islamic ministry and only for educational purposes.

Police Sergeant Ahmed Shiyam said Willeman would now face deportation.

On Sunday, a Swiss tourist on his honeymoon was discovered distributing Christian literature published in Dhivehi among employees at Reethi Beach resort. The man told management he was aware that distributing books promoting Christianity was illegal in the Maldives.

The Maldives is considered a 100 per cent Muslim country, and under the constitution, only Sunni Muslims can be citizens. Non-Muslim foreigners are permitted to practice their faiths in the privacy of their homes and proselytising is illegal.

This week, Forum 18, a Norway-based Christian human rights initiative, sent a letter to the HRCM asking for their stand on religious freedom on the Maldives.

HRCM Spokesperson Jeehan Mahmoud told Minivan News earlier this week that the commission did not respond as freedom of religion was constitutionally impossible. Instead, the commission forwarded the letter to the Islamic ministry for reference purposes only, she said.

But a statement on the religious conservative Adhaalath Party’s website claims that a group of Maldivians had colluded with foreigners to pressurise the Human Rights Commission Maldives (HRCM) and the Islamic ministry into discussions about building churches and temples in the country.

The party said that although the Maldives was now a democracy, the country’s religious laws applied to everyone - Maldivians and expatriates alike.

Although a large expatriate population - comprising Christians, Buddhists and Hindus - lived in the Maldives, the statement said they had no right to try and alter the country’s religion or culture.

“They have the right to practise their own religion inside of their homes and away from the general public,” the statement says. “Even if they have mosques and temples right besides each other and even if their government has a policy to bring harmony among all religions in their country, we don’t have to follow the same policy ourselves.”

Pointing to neighbouring India, the Adhaalath Party states that a secular Maldives would only lead to strife and religious disputes.

While Islam respected other religions, it adds, it was forbidden to “embrace” other religions.

In a press release issued today, HRCM President Ahmed Saleem said the Adhaalath Party published their “misleading” statement without clarifying information.

“We give full assurance that the human rights commission will always adhere to the constitution and Islamic sharia in carrying out its human rights work.”

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Christian literature distributed to resort workers
4 October 2009


A Swiss tourist was discovered to be distributing Christian literature to employees at Reethi Beach resort yesterday.

Ahmed Nasir, the assistant manager of the resort, said employees informed management about the guest, who was on his honeymoon, last night.

When questioned, the man told Nasir he was aware that handing out Christian literature in the Maldives was illegal. He added he was not part of a sect but distributing the books was his own personal choice, said Nasir.

Police questioned the couple, who left the Maldives this morning. Police Sergeant Ahmed Shiyam said the matter was still under investigation.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Mauroof Zakir, vice-president of Tourism Employees’ Association Maldives, said he had also been contacted by Reethi Beach employees regarding the books.

He was told that the guest distributed around ten copies of the book, translated into Dhivehi, to housekeeping staff yesterday and several more copies to waiters last night.

“The employees couldn’t say anything to the guest but they immediately went to the management,” he said, adding he had never personally heard of a guest distributing Christian literature at a resort before.

Zakir added the guest had travelled to two inhabited islands, Kamandhoo and Kihadhoo, during his trip and had distributed a further five books.

He said he had been informed that police had collected many of the books.

The Adhaalath Party published a statement about the incident on its website today. The statement notes that the tourist had handed out copies of the 60-page book to many employees on the island.

The party requested all copies of the book to be sent to the ministry of Islamic affairs.

“Nothing like this should be done in the Maldives. All our beloved citizens should be alert to these proselytising activities,” the statement said. “We must be vigilant and aware of these activities and these people to protect our youth.”