Maldives (MNN) — What would you do if professing Christ meant losing your citizenship? 

That is the bitter reality for believers in the Republic of the Maldives, a small island nation to the southwest of India. Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs, Canada says that the Maldives are often overlooked in persecution circles.

“The risk to Christians in the Maldives is more embedded in law and policy,” Brobbel says. “Islam is the state religion and the constitutional basis for all Maldivian law. A standing provision bars non-Muslims from actually becoming citizens.”

Image courtesy of Rayyu Maldives on Unsplash

This constitutional provision makes the nation 100% Muslim on the books, which Brobbel describes as a religious liberty and human rights violation. People are wary of giving any religion other than Islam perceived legitimacy. 

“It’s a criminal offense to promote any other religion. Public places of worship are illegal. And, of course, trying to convert a citizen to another religion is considered illegal,” Brobbel says. 

Most of the country’s 500,000 people live on its central island, with many of the surrounding islands operating as resorts. So while vacationers rarely see it, daily life for locals is centered around Islamic practices, such as Ramadan fasting and the call to prayer. 

Brobbel describes missionary activity in the Maldives as low. The support that does come is through the internet and radio broadcasts. The Maldives is one of the least evangelized countries in the world, and because of the law, it is difficult to gauge how many Christians actually live there.

“They’re mocked. They could be incarcerated, and even tortured. It’s not easy to be a Christian in the Maldives,” Brobbel says. 

Image courtesy of Gilbert Pagunaling on Unsplash

Because of its small size and the lack of visible persecution with its uniform Islamification, the Maldives do not receive much outward attention. But Brobbel says that there is a hunger for the Bible and for truth in the Maldives. We can pray that the hidden church will be able to protect themselves from the authorities while strategically reaching out to spiritual searchers. 

Brobbel says, “Pray that those believers will be encouraged and that they won’t feel abandoned, and that the ministries that are reaching into the Maldives would see the fruit of their labors.” 

Learn more about how Voice of the Martyrs serves the persecuted church by visiting their website. 

 

Header image courtesy of Gabriel Schumacher on Unsplash