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World Watch List 2010:

#5. Maldives

In the archipelago of the Maldives, Islam is the official state religion and all citizens must be Muslims. Persecution of Christians in the Maldives is systematic: legislation forbids the practice of any religion except Islam; the government regards itself as the protector and defender of Islam; churches are forbidden; importing Christian materials is prohibited; discrimination of non-Muslims is total; social control is enormous and the average Maldivian agrees with the prohibition of any religion other than Islam.

In the country - one of the least evangelized countries on earth - there are only a handful of indigenous Christian believers who practice their faith individually and in extreme secrecy for fear of being discovered.

No converts have been killed for apostasy in the Maldives. There was no improvement in religious liberty in the reporting period. There were a couple of reports about foreign Christians who were deported from the country after Christian materials had been found in their luggage.

About the Church (Persecution: Oppression)

• Islam is the state religion and no other religion is tolerated.
• The Constitution of the country is based off of Islamic principles.
• Non-Muslims can lose their citizenship or cannot gain citizenship.
• Believers in the Maldives usually will hide their faith from relatives.
• If a Christian is found out, their relatives will usually try to convert them back and if that does not work, they will turn them over to the state.
• Christians trying to remain secret about their faith will usually not interact with other believers in order to stay beneath the radar.
• The punishment for faith in other religions beside Islam is imprisonment or submission to an institution where they will be pressured to convert to Islam.
• Believers run the risk of losing all of their property
• Evangelism is banned, and church or other non-Muslim gatherings are strictly prohibited.

Example of Persecution:

1. On November 28, 2008, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs announced its intention to block a Christian website. Missionaries fear that the Christian website www.sidahitun.com will permanently be inaccessible from within. OD News 303: Maldives-Religious Tolerance Not Assured Despite Political Progress (26 Jan 09)

Prayer Points:

• For a spiritual breakthrough in this nation - one of the least evangelised on earth
• That Bibles and Christian literature will reach and build up the believers, despite the ban on their import
• That the election of a new President will bring a new openness to religious liberty.