Country Report: Maldives

Although the population of the Maldives is one hundred per cent Muslim, mostly Sunni, and the government prohibits the practice of other religions, Maldivian society was largely moderate and tolerant until comparatively recently.1 Today, however, Islamic clerics and lay preachers disseminate a radical strain of Islam across the country, mostly in impoverished and secluded locales such as Ukulhas (in North Ari atoll). Islamist organizations, including Jamiyyatul Salaf (JS) and the Islamic Foundation of Maldives (IFM), have proliferated as well, growing to dominate the socio-cultural landscape and dictate the way of life. Even mainstream political parties in the Maldives, such as Adhaalath (Justice), now support the strict implementation of Islamic law in all walks of life.

The American Foreign Policy Council’s World Almanac of Islamism is a comprehensive resource focusing on the nature of the contemporary Islamist threat in individual countries and regions, intended to provide an accurate picture of the rise or decline of radical Islamism on a national, regional and global level.